Our Broken Hearts
by ghost-wiring
Summary: Diva's champ Aidan's relationship with CM Punk is turning very serious, but when Dean Ambrose enters the picture, her world is turned upside down. Can Aidan bring herself to share a secret that could change everything?
1. The Charm of a Stranger

A/N: Hello folks! I've had the idea for this story buzzing around in my head for a while now so I decided to take a stab at it. While my other stories have stuck to a real timeline of events in the WWE, I've decided to pull from different timelines in order for it all to make sense. In other words, I'm totally making this world up so I don't have to go fact check every 5 seconds. Besides that, there are some wrestlers/divas that will appear in the story as if they've already moved up to the main roster. Anyway, that aside, I hope you all enjoy and reviews are much appreciated!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Charm of a Stranger

The city scenery zipped by outside the window of the rental car. Aidan gazed through the glass distractedly. She was on her way to an autograph signing at an FCW event. Wrestling on live TV was no problem for her, but she was always nervous to do meetings with the fans. She guessed at heart she was still the shy, awkward kid who sat in the back of the classroom in school. However, she was far removed from that life now. She was a WWE diva, a television star, a role model to millions, but above all, in her opinion at least, she was a professional wrestler.

She felt a warm hand place gently on her thigh, snapping her out of her musing. She looked over to find her boyfriend smiling at her. She knew him as Phil Brooks. To the rest of the world he was the WWE champion CM Punk.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine. Just a little nervous, I guess."

He put an arm around her shoulder, his crooked smile broadening.

"You know, I find it amazingly cute that you still get so nervous at these things."

"I guess I shouldn't be. They're all coming to see you anyway," she said playfully, poking him in the chest.

"You know that's not true. Besides, who wouldn't want to meet the extraordinarily beautiful Divas champion? I know I would."

Aidan rolled her eyes but found it hard to suppress a smile. Punk always knew how to calm her down and make her smile. His irresistible charm had been one of the many things that had won her over. They'd been together for over a year now and she was still as crazy over him as she was in the beginning. Back then she never dreamed she'd end up with the gorgeous guy with the tattoos and piercings. She'd barely gotten her feet wet in the WWE when he asked her out on their first date. She remembered the butterflies in her stomach and the disbelief that someone like him could be interested in her. Of course, she'd been warned by everyone about his reputation. He'd dated several of the divas throughout his time in the WWE, and none of the relationships seemed to last very long. They said he was a flirt, a womanizer, and that it wouldn't last. Now she was proud that she'd proven them wrong.

She realized she'd drifted off into thought again when the car rolled to a stop outside a small arena.

"We're here," Punk said as he unbuckled his seat belt. "Are you ready?"

Aidan grinned.

"Let's do this."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

After the signing was over, Aidan visited with some of the FCW Divas and Superstars. She'd been on the RAW roster for two years so there weren't many familiar faces, but it was nice meeting some aspiring wrestlers in the same position that she had been in not so long ago. Punk was by her side for a while, but soon left to gear up for a match. It hadn't been announced, but he'd agreed to wrestle that night at the FCW show, a sort of surprise for the fans in attendance. She told him she'd stick around and watch, but had no idea what to do with herself while she waited.

Wandering aimlessly backstage, she found her thoughts drifting back to her time in FCW. The trainers had pegged her as a natural and it didn't take her long to advance to the main roster, but she did have lots of memories there, some good, some bad. She'd met new friends, some of which were her best friends now. However, things weren't always easy. Her eyes drifted to her forearm, those silver-white scars, a constant reminder of her past. She rolled down her sleeve, taking the ugly souvenirs out of her sight.

Not paying very much attention to where she was going, she yelped in surprise when she walked right into something. As she righted herself, she noticed it was a person, a man and apparently a wrestler as he was geared up for a match.

"I am so sorry," she said, flying into an apology.

The man gazed at through dangerous blue eyes. He said nothing at first, but seemed to be looking her over head to toe. When at last he spoke, it was with a low gravelly voice.

"You lost, sunshine?"

She laughed nervously. Something about this guy made her uneasy.

"N-no. I was just…taking in the sights." She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm Aidan."

Again he looked her over, giving her the feeling he was an animal stalking its prey.

"I know who you are. Who doesn't?" he said with a deranged smile. He took her hand in his and held on a little too long. "I'm Dean Ambrose."

"Dean. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, I'm sure."

She forced a smile. "I'm sorry I bumped into you. I should have watched where I was going. I just—"

"It's fine. Don't sweat it."

He considered her a moment longer before continuing on his way.

"See you around," he called out.

Even after he rounded a corner and disappeared, she found herself rooted to the same spot. It was only after he was gone that she realized how fast her heart was beating. She closed her eyes and shook her head, then walked quickly towards the locker room.

Punk was coming out just as she arrived. Trying to shake off her strange meeting, she smiled and said, "Looks like you're ready."

"Are you going to cheer me on?" he asked jokingly.

"Duh!"

She kissed him softly on the lips.

"Go easy on him out there."

"I won't hurt him too bad."

He gave her one more kiss before taking his place at the curtain.

By the time Aidan found a good spot to watch from, the match had already gotten underway. As she sat down, she looked up at the ring. Punk narrowly missed a wild swing from his opponent. It took her a moment to realize who the other man was, but she couldn't mistake him. It was Dean Ambrose.

She found it hard to focus on what was going on in the match. Her eyes were drawn toward the strange man she literally bumped into moments earlier. She recalled that uneasy feeling she'd gotten around him. Despite this, she felt an odd sense of intrigue that she couldn't explain. She shook him out of her mind and returned her attention to the match, trying to focus on Punk and not this stranger that had captivated her so.


	2. Adjustments

"So, I heard you let some kid from FCW beat you up last night."

Aidan was just sitting down in the catering area when the topic of the FCW match came up. Mike Mizanin, otherwise known as the Miz, was addressing Punk with a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

"C'mon! I won!" Punk objected with a grin.

"I heard it was a good match," said Daniel.

"Who were you up against?" asked Kofi.

"Dean Ambrose," said Punk plainly.

Mike, not giving up on his ribbing of Punk so easily, turned his attention toward Aidan.

"You were there, Aidan. Did the kid beat him up or what?"

"He put up a fair fight, but Punk showed him up in the end," she said, leaning into Punk with a smile.

"Ah, you're just saying that because he's sitting next to you," Mike said playfully.

"I've worked with that guy before," Daniel said casually.

"You know him?" asked Aidan, a little overeager. All the men at the table looked at her curiously. Trying and failing at nonchalance, she said, "I ran into him backstage last night. He was a bit…odd."

"We were never friends, but I worked with him enough to know him fairly well. He's super tough, but he's borderline insane. I'm surprised he was offered a contract here. I didn't think the WWE brass would be into someone like him. "

Though she was eager to hear more, Kofi changed the subject.

"I've been hearing rumors they're thinking about starting season four of NXT. One of those "kids" might be paired up with you again, Mike."

"For all of our sakes I hope that's not true, but, even if it is, they'll have the honor and privilege of working with a top class Superstar such as myself. Isn't that right, Daniel?"

"Of course, Mike. Working with you was the greatest," said Daniel sarcastically.

Aidan missed Mike's response. Her attention was diverted when Punk slid his arm around her waist. He looked to her and then toward the door, his covert way of suggesting they go elsewhere. She got the feeling he'd had enough of Mike's banter for the time being. The two of them stood up.

"—it was the worst. NXT was complete crap, _especially_ because you were my pro," said Daniel, only half joking.

Before Mike could retort, Punk cleared his throat.

"Well, you guys don't have too much fun. The champions are going to go warm up. You know, because we actually have matches tonight."

"Yeah, we know what you mean by 'warming up'," said Mike with a devious grin.

Aidan narrowed her eyes, a look of warning that was powerful enough to wipe the grin off of Mike's face.

With a laugh, Punk pulled her in closer to him and said, "And that, gentlemen, is why she's my girlfriend. Good day,"

"See you later, guys. Be good, Mike," Aidan said as they walked away arm in arm.

As they left the catering area and walked further into the depths of the backstage area, Aidan began wondering where exactly Punk was leading her. She looked to him to find him smiling, but his mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

He gave her a sideways glance, still smiling in that dreamy way.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Shrugging, she said, "You seem a little lost in thought."

Punk stopped walking and stepped in front of her. He took her hands in his and stared down at their interlaced fingers.

"I've been meaning to ask you about something," he said softly.

The deliberation in the way he was speaking was something new to her. Punk wasn't normally the type to beat around the bush. It all made her nervous as to what he was leading up to say.

"What is it?" she asked.

He hesitated before he spoke, wonder growing with each second that passed.

"I was wondering…if you'd go out to dinner with me after the show tonight."

The suspense broke apart and fell around her in little pieces. Relief escaped her in the form of a laugh.

"Of course I will. What's with all the build up?"

"Build up? I don't know what you're talking about," he said with a grin.

Aidan rolled her eyes. She felt like he was up to something, but then again sometimes that's just the way Punk operated. Between his odd sense of humor and his rascally nature, he still found ways to surprise her even after all the time they'd been together.

"I've got reservations for a place in town. It's one of those really fancy dress-up places."

"Dress-up, huh? You hate dressing up."

He shrugged. "Not if it's for you."

"You're too sweet," she said putting her arms around him.

Punk looked as if he were on the verge of saying something else, but both of them were distracted when a crew member came running down the hallway. The nervous young man skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. McMahon wants to see Aidan right away."

Thrown off guard by their sudden visitor, Aidan glanced at Punk who seemed just as surprised as she was.

"…Okay. I'll be right there."

The young man ran off just as suddenly as he appeared. After he was gone, Aidan looked to Punk.

"What were you saying?"

"Nevermind. Go ahead and see what McMahon wants."

He pulled her in close and kissed her slowly and softly, leaving a smile on her lips.

"I'll see you after the show," he said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As the bell rang, her theme music kicked in. Aidan grabbed her belt and rolled unceremoniously out of the ring. Holding on to her side, she made her way up the ramp, paying little attention to the spectators roaring all around her. The match hadn't been her greatest. Despite winning, she'd taken a nasty bump namely because her focus was lacking. She was finding it hard to focus on anything aside from the terrible news she'd received mere minutes before her match began.

By the time she made it backstage, Punk was already waiting for her. Seeing him only made the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach intensify. She kept walking as he followed along behind her.

"Aidan! Wait up!"

She slowed down, knowing she must face him. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, his olive eyes searching hers.

"What's wrong? And don't say 'nothing'."

She turned her eyes to the ceiling, trying to blink back the tears that were burning at her eyes.

"I just wrestled my last match on RAW," she said.

"What?" Punk asked in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

"You know those rumors about NXT? They're true. Vince wants me to be a pro."

"I'm not following. How does that mean you won't be wrestling anymore?"

"I'll be wrestling, but not on RAW. Vince wants me to move to Smackdown. He says it will make scheduling easier and it will fill out the roster since Beth and Kelly just left."

"That's not so bad then. It just means he's got a lot of faith in you."

"But I don't want to go to Smackdown. We'll hardly see each other anymore."

Punk smiled warmly, wrapping her in his arms.

"It's true that our schedules might be a little different, but you're not getting rid of me that easily, and I don't think you've wrestled your last match on RAW. You know the brands are nearly universal these days. This is a great opportunity for you! You should be happy. I'm proud of you."

She sighed heavily and took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. He was completely right. There was no reason to be going into hysterics. This could be a great thing for her. If nothing else, it would be a new experience. She was so thankful for having Punk around to help her see the bright side of things. Positivity was not her strong suit.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so dramatic," she said.

"Just cheer up. Things will probably change a lot less than you think. Either way, I'll still be around, even if they move you to the moon."

She giggled as she said, "How is it that you can always make me smile?"

"Oh, you know me, Mr. Charming," he said playfully. "Now, you'd better be getting ready. You've got a nice evening out ahead of you."

Dinner. _Fuck._ Because she'd been so upset, she'd forgotten all about it. She'd agreed to meet with the writers and the prospective rookies after the show. They were also supposed to work out the details of her move to Smackdown.

"Promise you won't hate me?"

He seemed to read her mind.

"You can't go."

"I am so sorry. They want the pros to meet their rookies after the show. I could try and cancel if—"

"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling weakly.

"They're ready for you."

A director had appeared and was calling Punk to the curtain.

"I'm on my way."

As the director walked away, Punk turned back to her.

"Really, it's fine. We'll reschedule. Just go to the meeting, have a good time, and I'll see you later tonight."

"Ok…" she said, still feeling like complete crap. "See you tonight."

After he was gone, she made her way through the backstage area looking for the room they'd designated for the meeting. She was a little early, but she didn't mind waiting. It would give her time to think about all that had been thrown at her in the past few hours.

At last, she found the room and walked inside. She'd expected an empty room. Instead she found Dean Ambrose.

He looked up, his wild blue eyes finding hers. A smirk twisted his lips.

"Hello, Sunshine."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

A/N: So, obviously this NXT is going to be a bit different than what it really is. Pieces of the puzzle are still falling into place! I promise it will all make sense in the end! :D Thank you for all the attention this story has gotten so far. I appreciate all the reviews, favorites, and so forth.


	3. Something Old, Something New

It was very late by the time she made it back to the hotel room. Her nerves were wound up tight and she was so glad the day was behind her. All she had to do now was come home to Punk and try to forget about the unease of the past few hours.

When she opened the door the room seemed to be dark, but as her eyes adjusted she noticed it was candle lit. Punk had been busy while she was gone. There were some makeshift decorations around, namely the small table which he'd laid a red tablecloth over. A gorgeous bouquet of flowers in a pretty vase sat in the center. The table was fully set with dinner plates, silverware, and glasses for two. Her eyes finally fell on Punk who was sitting on the sofa grinning ear to ear.

"Surprise!"

"I'm speechless," she said in wonder. "What's it for?"

"For you," he said plainly. He'd crossed the room and put his arms around her. "We couldn't go out so I thought I'd bring dinner here."

"Phil, you didn't have to do all this."

"No, I didn't _have_ to. I wanted to. Now please be seated, Madame. Dinner is being served."

He pulled out her chair and she sat down. The food was delicious. It was only after they'd started eating that she realized how hungry she was.

"So how'd the meeting go?"

Aidan hesitated before answering. "It was interesting."

"How so?"

"Well, I spent some quality time with your opponent of two nights ago."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? He's going to be on the show?"

Aidan nodded. "He's going to be my rookie, in fact. The writers think we're polar opposites and that it will be cute to put us together."

"What do you think about that?"

"I think he gives me the creeps," she said with a shudder.

Punk looked at her, concern glinting in his eyes.

"Has he said or done something that bothered you?"

She'd been alone with Dean for a mere ten minutes before the meeting. They were ten minutes that had felt like a lifetime. At first she'd tried to make conversation but it didn't work out so great. For the most part he just stared at her. She eventually pulled out her phone and pretended to be busy. At last, one of the writers showed up with several of the other rookies, breaking the suffocating awkward silence.

"He didn't say or do anything. He's just weird. He makes me nervous."

Punk nodded solemnly.

"I wouldn't feel bad. I've heard that from a lot of people. It's probably just a front to scare people off. He might warm up once you get to know him. Who knows, he may end up being your new best friend."

Aidan burst out laughing. Punk concealed a devious grin by taking a drink out of his glass.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," she said.

"Seriously though, if he gives you any problems, let me know. I'm not going to let him start any shit with my woman."

"My hero," she said, batting her lashes. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I'll only have to deal with him one day out of the week anyway."

As they finished up dinner, they migrated to the balcony. The sky was crystal clear, the stars perfect white dots against a blanket of black. They sat in silence for a while just staring up in wonder. Aidan looked over at Punk. He seemed a little jittery. He was wringing his hands over and over again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, shattering the silence.

He laughed a little. "I'm just nervous."

"About what?"

"I'm nervous you'll say no."

She stared at him, clueless as to what he was talking about. He pulled a small box out of his pocket. Suddenly she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"I wanted to do this some place nicer, but I couldn't wait anymore."

Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure he could hear it.

"We've been together for a while now, but each day I'm with you feels like it did when we first met: I'm stupidly happy when you're around and I'm miserable when you're not. Nobody has ever made me feel this way." He paused a moment and cleared his throat. "I'm probably blowing this, so I'm just going to skip to the point. I love you, Aidan. Will you marry me?"

Tears were already welling in her eyes. She tried to catch her breath so that she could speak.

"Yes. Of course, I will."

He pulled the stunning ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"Did I do alright?"

"You were perfect," she said.

The burden having been lifted off his shoulders, he smiled happily, his olive eyes twinkling.

"You ready to go in, Mrs. Punk?"

"Lead the way, Mr. Punk."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

They'd managed to keep the news quiet for all of twelve hours before news started getting around that they'd become engaged. The next night they arrived at the house show in Greenville, NC. She had barely entered the diva's locker room before they descended upon her.

"Congratulations, Aidan!" Kaitlyn yelled as she wrapped her in a bear hug.

"Let's see the ring!" said Natalya.

Aidan bashfully held out her hand as the other girls admired the stunning piece of jewelry that Punk had picked out himself.

After she answered every question imaginable about the previous evening, she excused herself. While she was still riding on the thrill of being newly engaged, there was something tugging at her conscience. Thinking back to the conversation in catering the day before, she remembered Daniel saying he'd worked with Dean Ambrose in the past. Daniel was a close friend of hers and somebody she knew she could trust. She was looking for answers and he may be the only person that could give them to her.

She had been happy to find out the previous night that Daniel had also been named a pro for the new season of NXT. When she found him, he was standing around with his rookie, Derrick Bateman.

"Aidan! I just heard the news. Congratulations!" Daniel said excitedly.

Aidan smiled nervously. She greeted Derrick then turned her attention back to Daniel.

"Can I talk to you for a second? In private?"

Daniel looked puzzled. "Uh, sure. I'll see you later, Derrick."

After Derrick walked away, Aidan began walking very fast with Daniel trailing behind her.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We need to find somewhere quiet," she said.

She ducked into a darkened office area. After Daniel followed her inside, she turned on the lights and locked the door behind them.

"Seriously, Aidan, you're freaking me out."

"He's not here is he?"

Daniel still looked completely baffled.

"Who?"

"Dean," she whispered as if worried speaking his name might summon him.

"I don't think so," Daniel answered slowly.

"Good. That's good. I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I need to know everything you know about him."

Daniel stared at her dubiously.

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" he asked.

Aidan sighed and covered her eyes with her hands.

"I got to the meeting early last night. He was the only other one there and we were alone together for several minutes before anyone else showed up."

"Yeah? What happened?"

She sighed again, breathing in slowly.

"He says he remembers me from some party I was at a couple of years back before I signed my developmental contract here."

Daniel was still looking at her blankly.

"So what are you so worried about?"

"I was a very different person back then. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of."

"What kind of things?" he asked slowly.

"Terrible things. I partied all the time, I drank way too much, I did some drugs here and there… Phil doesn't know anything about this, and I never wanted him to know. I never wanted anybody to know. Now in walks this guy who says he knows me and it's all a little nerve-racking. I'm engaged now and I've got all these secrets. What kind of shitty fiancé am I?"

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's going to be alright. I don't think Punk will care—he loves you for who you are now. Who cares about who you were back then? You should just talk to him."

"I should. But I need to talk to this Ambrose guy first. I need to find out what he knows about me. That's why I need to find out what you know about him."

Daniel shrugged.

"He likes to run his mouth a lot. He's good at getting under people's skin. He's had a pretty dark past, or at least that's what he likes to tell everybody."

"Dark past?"

"He goes on a lot about how his mother was a whore and his father was locked up in jail throughout his childhood. He says he ran the streets a lot. The way he tells it he's been through some pretty terrible things in his life. Maybe that's why he's nuts."

Aidan laughed in spite of herself, her eyes shining with tears.

"You know, we were put together because we were supposed to be so different. It's looking like we're more similar than they ever imagined."


	4. The Start of Something

The rest of the week flew by quickly and with little incidence. On Sunday, Aidan completed her last stop with the RAW crew at a house show in Georgia. It was a short drive to Atlanta where the next Monday Night RAW would take place. She made the most of her time with Punk, trying not to let her melancholy ruin the night. Despite her best efforts, she knew he could sense her sadness. He was talking and joking more than normal, trying even harder to make her laugh or at least crack a smile, anything to take her mind away from what was coming.

She spent the following day hanging around with her friends from RAW. The show came and went and afterwards it was time for her to leave. She had already arranged to ride with Kaitlyn and Natalya to the next show where she would officially become part of the Smackdown roster. She watched as Punk loaded her bag into the trunk of the rental car. As he closed it up, he turned to her and smiled.

"Well, it was a tough job, but I managed to load your bag for you."

She forced a smile. "Thanks."

Punk placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.

"C'mon. You're going to have to cheer up just a little bit or I'm not going to be able to let you go."

"Promise?" she said sulkily.

"It's not going to be that bad. You're going to go and do a couple of shows and I'll see you in a few days."

"It wouldn't be so bad if I actually knew anybody on the Smackdown roster. I'm lucky Kaitlyn and Nattie are there or I wouldn't even have anyone to ride with."

"They're not a bunch of strangers, Aidan. You've met them all before."

"They might as well be. Sure, I've met them but I don't really _know_ any of them."

Punk sighed, a knowing smile on his lips.

"You remember when you first came to RAW and you were all shy and nervous? Within two weeks you were everybody's friend. The same thing will happen here. You've got a way of making people love you. You sure hooked me."

"Oh, stop. You're making me blush," she said, playfully pushing him away.

"Seriously though, you will be alright. You'll be more than alright. I'll bet you'll even be _enjoying_ yourself before it's all over with."

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly and rested her head against his chest, feeling it rise and fall with each breath. At last she pulled back and gave him a long, slow kiss on the lips.

"Something to remember me by," she said with a smile.

"Hey, Punk! You ready to go?"

It was Daniel calling from across the parking lot. AJ was leaning out of the passenger side doorway, watching them.

"Yeah, just a second," he called back. He rolled his eyes. "Some people."

"So you're riding with Daniel and AJ?"

"Yeah. They took pity on me and offered me a ride."

She felt a stab of jealousy, wishing she were riding with them instead.

"Ok. I don't want to hold you up. I'm pretty sure Kaitlyn and Nattie are probably tired of me stalling anyway. See you in a few days?"

"Yeah. Let me know how things go tomorrow, ok?"

"Sure. I'll call you tomorrow night."

He planted a lingering kiss on her lips.

"I'll see you soon."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

As Punk had predicted, things went very smoothly in her transition. Her first day now behind her, she could mark it as a success. She'd spent a lot of time that day meeting with and reacquainting herself with the Superstars and Divas of Smackdown. She'd also enjoyed being around Kaitlyn and Nattie, both good friends of hers that she hadn't had much time to spend with in the past because of their conflicting schedules. Above all, her match went well, a good start for her tenure on Smackdown.

Still in her wrestling gear, she walked through the backstage area heading toward the locker room. As she came closer, she became aware of the sound of quickly approaching footsteps. Layla rounded the corner and nearly bumped right into her.

"Oh, Aidan. You're just the girl I was looking for," she said. "You have a—a visitor." She pointed back towards the diva's locker room.

"A visitor? Who is it?"

"You'll see him. He's waiting outside the locker room."

She started to walk off but Aidan called after her.

"Are you ok? You seem upset."

Layla forced a smile.

"I'm fine. I'll see you later."

With that she was gone. Aidan continued on the path toward the locker room still wondering what had gotten Layla so worked up. Once the locker room door came into view, she had her answer. Dean Ambrose. He was leaning against the wall, his hands shoved into the pockets of his worn out jeans. His eyes were following each person that passed. Finally, they came to rest on her. A faint smile traced his lips.

"Sunshine, what took you so long? I've been waiting here all night."

Aidan could feel her stomach knotting up.

"What are you doing here?"  
"I'm your rookie, aren't I? I need guidance."

"NXT doesn't start until next week. You're a little early."

He pushed himself away from the wall and walked in a slow, uneven gait, only stopping when they were standing toe to toe. He towered over her, making her feel very small. His eyes were looking her up and down. She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious in her ring gear.

"I know for a fact that the other rookies and their pros are already spending time together. They're getting to know each other, becoming the best of pals even," he said, his hands gesturing wildly.

He bent over a little, bringing himself down to her level. His face inches from hers, he spoke in a low, even tone.

"You haven't made a move. Are you intimidated by me? Or do you simply wish I would go away?"

She swallowed hard, but she did not back away. She stared back at him, resolute in her will to show no fear.

"What do you want? Do you want me to be your _friend_?" she asked, anger seeping into her words.

That deranged smile came across his face. He straightened himself up and took a step backwards.

"There's no need to get angry, Sunshine. I just want what's best for us. After all, we're going to be working together for a long time."

She grimaced at the concept.

"If you're no good you could be out in a matter of weeks. Do you think you have what it takes?"

He chuckled in a guttural way.

"Do I have what it takes? Sunshine, I'm more than you can handle."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. Trying to ignore what she was sure was innuendo, she attempted to change the subject.

"Why do you keep calling me that?"

"You don't like it? It suits you, doesn't it? You're everybody's sweetheart."

He came closer again and again she fought the urge to back away.

"You've got that pretty blonde hair, that radiant smile, your _sunny_ disposition." He chuckled at his own joke. Bringing his hand up, he caught a strand of her hair and twirled it around his finger. "I can see what Punk likes about you. You're pure and innocent—at least that's what he thinks. But he doesn't know you that well, does he? He doesn't know what I know."

Finally having had enough, she swatted his hand away from her and pushed him back.

"Whatever you think you know about me, you're wrong," she muttered through clenched teeth. "If we're going to get through the next few weeks, you're going to have to learn some rules. Don't touch me, don't show up unannounced, and quit spreading your bullshit lies or I will have your ass booted out of here so fast you won't even see it coming. Do you understand me?"

He wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, a sneer had twisted his mouth, his brows furrowing dangerously over his eyes.

"And here I was wanting to play nice. Have it your way, _Aidan_," he said, spitting out her name. He started to walk away. He was half way down the hall before it even had time to register.

"Where are you going?" she called out after him.

"Away. It's what you want, isn't it?" he yelled over his shoulder, not stopping.

She ran to catch up with him. She grabbed his arm and he spun around quick. The fury burning in his eyes made her think twice about going after him, but she didn't let go. Instead she stood there, gazing into his eyes. After a few moments, she could feel the anger slowly leaving his body.

"I didn't mean to upset you. My past is a touchy subject. No one knows about it except for Daniel Bryan who I only told a few days ago, and now, apparently, you."

He looked at her a moment longer before tugging his arm away from her.

"We've all got something we're hiding from. I quit hiding a long time ago. I think you should do the same."

He left her standing there, staring after him. His words weighing heavily on her, she sighed and walked into the locker room. She had a feeling that this was the beginning of something bigger than she'd ever imagined.


	5. Words Like Knives

Aidan stayed on the lookout for the next few days but Dean was nowhere to be found. There were only a few days left before the new season of NXT would start. The creative team had left it up to the pros to get to know their rookies. In that respect, she had completely failed.

She felt bad for talking so harshly to him, but she knew some boundaries had to be set. Besides, who was he to hold her hostage over something that happened years ago, and she still wasn't sure exactly what he knew. Every time they tried to talk it resulted in failure. She thought back to the night she'd found herself alone with him in that conference room.

The encounter had been brief but had horrified her to an unimagined level. She'd walked in the room to find him standing there leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, a typical stance for him it seemed.

"Hello, Sunshine," he'd said using the nickname she'd come to hate in the short span of time she'd known him.

"Dean. I didn't know you'd be here."

He raised his eyebrows, his lips pursed together.

"You're surprised?"

"Well…I…" she'd stammered stupidly.

"Don't worry, Sunshine. You're not the first to sell me short."

She laughed nervously and then an uncomfortable silence settled in. She'd pulled out her phone, trying to look engaged. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that he was moving closer. She didn't look up until he rather noisily snatched the chair up beside her, spun it around backwards, and sat down. He stared at her a moment longer before he spoke.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

"I remember you. We met the other night at the—"

"No, no, no. I'm talking about the party. We met at a party a few years ago."

She blinked, unbelieving, her stomach twisting up in knots.

"Party?"

His lips split into a grin.

"Of course you don't remember. You were so wasted you barely knew what planet you were on let alone who you were talking to that night. But I remember."

He looked her up and down.

"It seems like you've cleaned up your act. When I first saw you on TV a while back I couldn't believe my eyes. Now look at you: America's squeaky clean girl next door with a championship to boot. You sure fooled them, Sunshine."

Completely dumbfounded and unable to fathom how this guy had the nerve to talk to her this way, she began to retort but was stopped when some of the others arrived.

She was barely able to pay attention throughout the meeting. Her eyes kept falling on Dean who was watching her right back. When they'd announced that he would be her rookie he'd had the most disgusting smile on his face. It made her sick to think about it.

The thought of meeting with him again repulsed her, but time was running out, and if she didn't get with him soon and have a real conversation, she would be going into this competition blind. She may not want to deal with Dean Ambrose, but she really didn't want to look incompetent as a mentor.

It took some investigating, but she finally tracked down his phone number. She took a deep breath as she punched in the numbers.

The phone rang five times before he answered.

"Hello?" his gruff voice answered.

"Dean. It's me, Aidan."

He was silent for a moment.

"Aidan, huh? I wasn't expecting you to call."

"Look, I know we've gotten off to a rocky start in this whole NXT thing, and I take full responsibility for that. If we're going to do this we're going to have to work together. I wanted to see if you'd be willing to meet with me over the next few days. I just want to get to know you better and give you a chance to get to know me."

Another long pause. When at last he spoke, she could hear the skepticism in his voice.

"You want to get to know me?"

"Well, yeah. We're supposed to be a team and I know nothing about you."

"So you think if you know my life story you'll be better able to deal with me? That sounds like complete bullshit."

A little hurt, she said, "It was just an idea. You don't have to if—"

He cut in, screaming into the phone.

"Oh, no. I want to do this. I want to sit down and discuss with you every detail about what makes me the way I am, and then when we're in that ring together everyone will look up at you with big fucking grins on their faces and say what a great person you are for having the balls to work with a monster like me!"

Once again, Aidan found herself confused. This was an entirely different attitude than what she had seen from him before. She assumed he must still be angry over what happened a few nights back.

"I'm sorry if I've made you angry—"

"I'm not angry. I'm ecstatic that you called. In fact, I've been waiting for it day and night since you told me, in so many words, to get lost. Name a time and a place and I'll be there sweetheart."

She winced, his words cutting her like knives and filling her with unease.

"Will you be at the house show tomorrow night?"

"I'll be wherever you want me."

When she hung up she sighed heavily. She suddenly became aware that she was shaking. She picked up the phone and dialed Phil's number.

"Hey, babe. I've been waiting for you to call."

She was silent as she struggled with what to say.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Phil, I don't know if I can do this."


	6. Honesty

Aidan stood outside the arena. Adding to her mixed state of anxiety and fearfulness, she was now cold and slightly annoyed. When last she spoke to him, she'd agreed to meet Dean after the house show in Waco, Texas. From there, she would drive him to the next show in College Station. She'd given the idea a lot of consideration before going with it. It was a risky situation to be locked in the car for two hours with this lunatic, but it was a short drive and she figured if she could survive this, she could survive anything.

She'd talked to Punk for nearly two hours after the bizarre conversation with Dean and he'd helped calm her down and convince her to carry on. Of course, she couldn't tell him the real reason Dean bothered her so much. She wasn't sure what was keeping her from telling him the truth about her past. She wanted to take Daniel's advice and trust that Punk wouldn't look at her any differently, but she was so ashamed. It was the reason why she'd vowed to herself to start fresh and move on when she'd signed the developmental contract with the WWE. She'd cut ties with everyone from her past in an attempt to forget about the terrible life she'd live up to that point. She'd done such a good job at assuming her new identity that she hadn't even though about her old self until Dean Ambrose showed up.

Ever since he'd revealed to her that he'd met her before she'd tried desperately to remember where or when it happened. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with anything. It wasn't a big surprise. From her early teens up until the day she signed her contract she was almost constantly drunk or under the influence of something. It was a miracle that she'd made it so far. She hadn't deserved it, that was for sure. By some great stroke of luck she'd impressed the right people and earned her spot. The WWE had quite literally saved her life. She traced her fingers over her forearm where her skin bore the proof, faded little reminders of the life that almost never was.

The wind picked up, piercing through her jacket and rocking her body with chills.

_Screw this._

Not willing to suffer through the cold any longer, she made her way to the car. She considered herself a patient person but there was only so long a time she was willing to wait for a person she didn't even like. If he didn't show up by the time she warmed up the car, she was leaving without him.

As she approached the car she realized that wouldn't be an issue. Dean was leaning casually against the driver side door, a lit cigarette in his mouth. He took one more draw before throwing the butt on the ground.

"Sunshine. So glad to see you. I thought you'd abandoned me."

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to meet me by the door."

A smirk grew on his lips.

"You want to get to know me? Here's the thing. I don't always do what I'm told."

Frowning, she threw her suitcase in the trunk.

"Well, something you should know about me is that I don't enjoy being an icicle, so if you're going to pull this cavalier bullshit, warn me next time so I don't end up waiting in the freezing cold for twenty minutes."

He picked up his bag and threw it in the trunk beside hers. He lingered there standing uncomfortably close, and once again she felt very small.

"Woah, Sunshine. No need to get testy. I'm with you a hundred percent. Although, I have to say, you're pretty sexy when you're angry."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She recognized that he was trying to get under her skin, something that he was very skilled at doing. Even though she wanted to go off on him, she put a smile on her face.

"Ready to go?" she asked in a voice sopping with cheer.

His expression changed sharply. He considered her a moment before he stepped back.

"After you."

She climbed into the driver's seat with Dean watching her every move. It was only after she closed the door that he went to get into the car.

It was silent for the first few minutes of the trip. She felt his eyes on her and she tried to ignore the feeling of dread bubbling in her stomach. Distractedly, she flipped through the channels on the radio. She'd cycled through five times before she switched it off. She glanced over at Dean. He was still staring at her, a twisted smirk on his lips. She knew he could sense her nervousness like a shark smells blood in the water.

"So where are you from?" she asked, feeling foolish.

He seemed to consider his answer.

"Cincinatti," he said plainly.

"Cincinatti? I haven't seen much of it."

"There's not much to see. At least not the part I grew up in." He gazed at her for a moment. "You're a Southern girl, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah. How did you know?"

"You've got an accent. Why do you try to hide it?"

She stumbled over her words, put off by how easily he was reading her.

"Well…I guess you could say I don't have any Southern pride."

"You're ashamed of where you come from?"

"I'm not ashamed. I just don't have anything positive to say about my upbringing in the South. I just wanted to leave it all behind."

"So you're ashamed of your family."

She took her eyes off the road momentarily to fix him with an incredulous stare.

"Ooh, I've touched a nerve," he said, grinning. She was silent so he continued. "Don't stop now. We're getting somewhere. Let me guess. You're mad because your parents gave you a boy's name."

She tried to stay angry but she couldn't help but laugh.

"You could say that. My father wanted a boy. When he got a daughter, he didn't let that change his mind."

"Did you get along with him?"

The question caught her off guard. Her hesitation answered for her. He nodded knowingly and thankfully shifted the conversation back to himself.

"I didn't know my father much. He was in and out of jail for most of my life. My mother was too strung out on drugs to give much of a shit about what I was doing. I pretty much raised myself."

She stared straight ahead, her eyes fixed on the black horizon.

"I'm not looking for any sympathy though," he said. "I grew up fighting my whole life and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm telling you these things because there's something in you locked away. You've got that mark of somebody who's seen hell."

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"You've done a good job at hiding it though. Nobody else suspects a thing. They see a pretty girl who laughs and smiles all the time, she makes friends with everyone. But they don't know what I know. They don't know you're running from something big and I don't mean the party girl shit because when it comes down to it, nobody really cares about that. I mean there's something at the core of who you are that eats you alive and you've tried to run away , but it's always there…biting at your heels...tearing you apart…feeding on—"

"Enough!"

She'd screamed the word without even realizing it. He studied her a moment before sinking back into the seat.

"It's fine. You don't trust me and you probably shouldn't. Why should you talk to someone you don't even know? But I want you to trust me. I've gotta be honest with you, Aidan. There's something I've been hiding from you that you need to know."

She glanced over at him. There was nothing but sincerity glinting in his blue eyes, a quality she'd never seen in him before.

"What is it?"

"You don't remember anything about that party?"

"No, Dean. I don't even remember meeting you."

"Well, you did more than meet me. We had sex that night."

She nearly ran the car off the road.

"What?" is all she could come up with.

"You were drunk, you were coming on to me, and I took advantage of you."

She was shaking her head in disbelief.

"You better not be lying to me, you son of a bitch."

"I'm not lying. I just thought you'd want to know."

She was trying to keep from crying. This was far worse than she could have ever imagined.

"Nobody finds out about this, and if you're thinking about trying something with me, you better think again."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I only fuck drunk sluts, and I wouldn't dream of telling your precious fiancé that I nailed you first."

For the second time, she nearly ran off the road as she swatted at him blindly. She connected with his shoulder and the side of his head and he was laughing. He was actually _laughing._ She pulled the over on the side of the road. The car had barely stopped before she slammed the gear into park and jumped out. They were in the middle of nowhere, but she didn't care. She stomped off into a dark field, not knowing where she was going, only knowing she wanted to get far, far away from Dean. Soon she realized, no matter how far she went, she couldn't get away from this. She sank down to the ground and started to cry.

She was alone for a few minutes before she heard his footsteps closing in.

"Go away," she said without looking at him.

"C'mon, Aidan. Get back in the car."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, you sick bastard."

"Where are you going to go? Are you going to live with the cows out in this pasture?"

"I'd rather stay with the cows than go anywhere with you."

He sighed. She could tell without looking at him that he was running his hand through his already disheveled hair.

"I'm _sorry_, okay? I shouldn't have been such an asshole," he said with an irritated tone.

"You sound so sincere. Do me a favor and fuck off."

He stood there a moment in silence.

"Look, I don't know how to take orders, especially not from some headstrong woman like you. It pisses me off. I'm disrespectful, I'm an asshole…whatever. The point is, I'm trying to apologize which is not a luxury I give_ anyone_. Can you at least give me that?"

She went on ignoring him. After a while, he stooped down beside her. He was surprisingly gentle when he spoke.

"If I drive the rest of the way and promise not to talk to you for the rest of the night, will you get back in the car?"

She considered his offer. She didn't want to go anywhere near that car, but he was persistent and she was beginning to get very cold. She stood up and began trudging back toward the car.

"Fine. But don't think I've forgiven you."

Soon the car was in motion with Dean behind the wheel. He kept his word and was silent the rest of the way. When they got to the hotel, he got immediately out of the car and went to the trunk to grab his bag. She climbed out of the passenger seat and watched him from afar. As he closed the trunk, his eyes met hers briefly before he headed towards his room.

"Dean," she said softly.

He stopped and turned to face her.

"I'll see you Tuesday night."

His expression was unreadable.

"Sure," he said in a low voice.

He walked away, disappearing around the corner of the building and out of her sight.

Aidan sighed and picked up her bag. She plodded to the hotel room she was sharing with Kaitlyn. She knocked and Kaitlyn promptly opened the door. She must have looked as troubled as she felt; Kaitlyn's face fell in an instant.

"What happened?"

Aidan fell heavily on the bed. She lay staring at the ceiling.

"My rookie. I think by the time NXT is over, one of us will have killed the other."


	7. One in the Same

_A/N: I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews and follows this story has been getting, and a special thanks to those of you who review every chapter. All this support makes me a happy lady! Anywho, I have another chapter ready, and I hope you all enjoy!_

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With the start of the new season of NXT upon them, Aidan and the other pros were waiting around backstage. The creative team had gathered their rookies for a meeting before the start of the show. She observed the other pros conversing from a distance. Most of them were discussing how well they were getting along with their assigned pupils. Aidan was still trying to overcome the hatred that she'd built up for hers.

Since their lovely car trip a few nights back, Aidan had not seen or spoke to Dean. The thing that bothered her most was that no matter how she tried to forget about him, he still managed to invade her thoughts. On the outside he was rude, obnoxious, abrasive, and he had the special talent of disgusting her like no one else could. Despite all of this, he'd seen through the façade she'd built around herself and brought to the surface all of the things she'd tried to forget. He seemed to know her better than anyone, even herself. This scared her, especially since she knew so little about him. So on her day off, she took some time and did a little research on Mr. Ambrose. The results were unsettling.

She'd watched countless matches and promos with a morbid fascination. He'd wrestled through broken glass and barbwire, dog collar matches, street fights, but no matter how violent—or bloody—things got, he never backed down. It was like he was driven by the pain. He even seemed to _enjoy _it. Beside all the death matches, she could see real talent in his wrestling. Perhaps even more impressive was his skill at talking. She'd seen him look straight into the camera and show everything down to his warped mind, his twisted heart, and his dark soul. In the last video she watched he recounted vividly a scene from his childhood of abuse and neglect. The tale struck too close to home. She turned off the computer and hadn't turned it on since.

"Aidan!"

A nervous writer was running up to her. He looked like he was about two seconds away from a heart attack.

"What's wrong?"

"Dean. We can't find him. He missed the meeting and now the show is about to start."

Aidan rolled her eyes. She should have seen this coming.

"I'll go look for him," she said.

She immediately and begrudgingly went searching for her wayward rookie, not having the slightest clue as to where he could be. The backstage area was large and convoluted, and the show was scheduled to start in ten minutes. She stopped and thought back to the videos she'd watched. When he was seen backstage, he was usually somewhere out of the way. She took off running, heading for the darkest, most unused areas of the building.

It wasn't long before she feared she'd be lost as well. She found herself in an area that seemed older than the rest of the building. The walls were made of brick and the tile on the floor looked like it had seen many years of traffic. An unnatural quiet had settled over the place; she couldn't even hear the sounds of the arena. She slowed to a stop and gazed helplessly around. This was useless. For all she knew, he wasn't even in the building.

"Looking for someone?"

The gravelly voice was instantly recognizable. She looked all around until she spotted him sitting on an old staircase that was partially concealed in darkness. Seeing him there sent a cold chill through her body, a rash of goose bumps breaking out on her skin.

"Dean…what the hell are you doing? You skipped the meeting and now the show is about to start and nobody can find you."

He stood up from his roost on the stairs and walked slowly towards her, each footstep puncturing the thick silence.

"You found me. I knew you cared."

"This isn't a game. They'll have both of our asses if we cause the show to be delayed."

He clapped a hand on her shoulder, his grip tight.

"Relax. You're always worrying."

She shrugged him off and started walking.

"Let's go."

He walked along behind her, silent for a while. It didn't last very long.

"You've been thinking about me, haven't you?"

She glanced back at him. He had a nauseating grin on his face.

"I've been thinking about how much you piss me off," she said.

"That may be true. But it's only because deep down you know that I'm a part of you."

She stopped in her tracks and spun around to face him.

"_Excuse_ me?"

"I'm the part of you that you want to ignore."

"Well, you've got that right."

She tried to walk away but he caught her arm and spun her around. He held her there close to him, her body pressed uncomfortably to his.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since our little chat the other night. I didn't want to think about you but I couldn't help it. You piss me off till my blood _boils_ because you won't just be yourself. The worst part about it is I don't even know why I care." He laughed in disbelief of himself. "So I keep asking myself what is it about this woman? Why has she been able to do what no one else has done in my entire fucking life? Why does she make me care about her?"

He went quiet, staring into her eyes as if he was expecting her to give him the answers.

"If this is your deluded idea of a romantic gesture, or a profession of love, you can forget about it," she said darkly.

He let out one short derisive laugh.

"I didn't say that, sunshine. You were just another notch in my belt back then and love is something I'm incapable of. I'm saying that we share some kind of connection. I can feel it. I fucking hate it, but I know it's there. You and I are one in the same."

"I'm nothing like you," she spat.

He took her jaw in his hand. She flinched and his grip grew painfully tight, forcing her to look at him.

"That's what you say now. I'm going to show you just how wrong you are."

"Let her go."

The singular statement came from Daniel Bryan. He was observing Dean with fury in his eyes, his body tense and ready to fight. Dean's grip loosened. He gave her a meaningful look before slouching away. Daniel's eyes followed him until he was out of sight.

"Are you ok?" he asked, concern softening his expression.

She absentmindedly massaged her jaw, staring into the space Dean had just been standing.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said

"What the hell was that about?"

"It's nothing."

"It looked like something to me. You should report that guy. He can't put his hands on you."

"I don't want to cause a big stir over nothing. Dean is…_temperamental_…but he's nothing I can't handle."

"You don't know what he's capable of. This needs to stop _now._"

She considered his plea. This partnership with Dean could very well be over if she complained that he was violent toward her. However, something at the core of her was pushing her forward. She didn't _want _to walk away. Straightening herself up, she looked at Daniel with steely resolve in her icy blue eyes.

"I'm beginning to understand Mr. Ambrose very well. I look like an easy target and he thinks he can bring me down to his level. Backing out now will only prove him right."

"I still think you should tell somebody. What would Punk think if he found out about this? He'd kick my ass for _not_ stopping it."

The mention of her fiancé filled her with the sting of regret. Once again, she was hiding something from him, but she knew if he found out about this he'd come running to her rescue. She had to handle Dean on her own or else he would never respect her.

"Please, Daniel. I ask you as my friend to let this go."

A stage hand came running up with a microphone.

"We've been looking for you two. The show has already started! Daniel, it's your turn to introduce your rookie. Aidan, you're next."

He shoved the microphone into Daniel's hand and ushered him away. Daniel looked back at Aidan and gave her a quick nod, a sign that he would do as she wished.

Aidan hurried to catch up. Daniel was already walking through the curtain, introducing his rookie Derrick Bateman. She spotted Dean leaning against the wall, his arms folded. He regarded her coolly, his lips pursed. She walked right over and stood beside him. His expression changed to one of mild interest.

"I think short stack wants to tattle on me. He shot me an 'eat shit' look on the way out."

"I told him not to say anything," Aidan said.

"You're protecting me? I'm shocked."

"I just want to do my job. Besides, if you think squeezing on my jaw is going to scare me, you don't know who you're dealing with."

A devious grin grew on his lips.

"I knew I was right about you, sunshine."


	8. A Part of Me

_A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, everybody! I've got a new chapter for you all, and it's a long one! I feel like the first few chapters have been moving rather slowly, but the pace is picking up now. Full steam ahead! I can't wait to read what you all think about it and thanks to those of you who have been following, favoriting, and reviewing this._

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Aidan stood outside the ring, elbows on the apron, her hands all but covering her eyes. She watched in horror as Johnny Curtis leapt from the top turnbuckle and connected with Dean in a vicious leg drop. Curtis pinned Dean for a three count and the match was over. For the third consecutive week, Dean had lost his match.

She would have felt bad for him if it hadn't been his own fault. In the first week, Dean had deliberately started an argument with Ted Dibiase which resulted in his first match. The match had been back and forth until out of the blue Dean had backed Ted into a corner and relentlessly beat on him until he was disqualified. In the second week, he'd been given a match against Ted's rookie, Brodus Clay. Even though his opponent was much larger in size, Dean had dominated him most of the match. Just when Aidan was sure he had it won, Dean inexplicably walked out of the ring and headed for the locker room, resulting in a count out. He'd explained in an interview later on that he'd grown bored and simply didn't care to finish the match. Aidan, of course, had been furious with him, which only seemed to be a source of great amusement to Dean. This latest lost had seemed deliberate as well. Dean had started off strong but midway through the match he'd all but given Johnny Curtis the upper hand. To everyone else it would look like a genuine loss, but Aidan saw it as a perpetuation of the losing streak that Dean had manufactured for himself.

He hadn't been doing well in the challenges either. So far he had not earned a single immunity point. The effort he was putting forward always seemed half-hearted. This was plainly evident when she saw the other rookies trying so hard to win, so hungry for a shot at a coveted WWE contract. The first elimination would be held in two weeks. The way it was going now, he was setting himself up to be the first to go.

After Johnny Curtis and R-Truth had finished their celebrations and exited the ring, Aidan slid under the ropes and knelt down next to Dean. He'd pulled himself into a seated position and was rubbing the back of his head distractedly. Aidan tried to pat him on the back but he shrugged her off. He rather abruptly rolled out of the ring and started up the ramp, leaving Aidan staring after him in confusion and embarrassment. She tried to ignore the jeering audience as she hurried to catch up with him.

She found him backstage slumped down against the wall. Aidan stood in front of him, her arms crossed, staring a hole into his forehead. He went on ignoring her for several minutes before he finally looked up at her. His fingers slid through his greasy dark blond hair combing back the disheveled strands that were covering his eyes.

"Are you going to stand there all night or are you going to say something?" he said, his voice low and gravelly.

"I'm waiting for you to explain yourself."

"Explain myself? I lost. You're the coach. You're supposed to be analyzing what went wrong."

She came down to his level, crouching in front of him. Her ice-blue eyes considered him carefully.

"I've analyzed the hell out of the last three weeks and the only thing I can see is that you're losing on purpose."

A huge grin split his lips.

"Oh, Sunshine. You caught me. I can't slip anything past you."

Aidan sighed in frustration.

"I've given up on trying to figure out why you do the things you do, so why don't you just save me the trouble and tell me what's going through your head. What do you hope to gain by losing? Are you _trying_ to get eliminated?"

He looked at her evenly through his flat blue eyes.

"When I want to win, no one can stop me."

"So you're saying you don't care whether you win or lose."

He shrugged his shoulders with indifference.

"I've got nothing to fight for."

"A WWE contract is not a big enough prize? Those other guys would fight to the death for that chance."

"That's because those other guys are a bunch of losers who don't have any other way to get it."

She laughed incredulously.

"You really think you're something special, don't you? If that's the kind of attitude you're going to take you won't last long in this company."

She stood up and started off but she felt his fingers grip around her bare ankle. She looked back at him in anger but her expression softened when she caught sight of him. She'd expected to see that goofy grin on his lips but instead his eyes were glinting with sincerity.

"Do _you_ want me to win?"

"Of course I want you to win."

The revelation slipped so easily out of her mouth it surprised her. He let go of her ankle and pulled himself off of the ground. Standing before her, he looked deep into her eyes, and when he spoke it was with a softness she never knew he was capable of.

"If you want me to win, I'll win for you."

She felt her heart quickening in her chest. There were actually butterflies in her stomach. It was something she'd never expected to feel for Dean Ambrose, and quite frankly, it pissed her off.

"Why win for me?" she said trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

A faint smile crossed his lips.

"Because one day, you won't look at me like I'm a monster anymore."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The next week there was an immediate turn around. Dean was not scheduled for a match but he'd swept the challenge and won himself his first two immunity points. The real surprise came on elimination day. All six rookies were scheduled for matches, a final chance to prove that they were worthy of staying in the competition. Dean had the most to prove seeing as he was the only rookie so far that had not won a single match. His was the last match of the night, a rematch against Brodus Clay. Aidan sat at the top of the ramp with the other pros, observing the match with knots in her stomach.

Dean had started off strong, but early on he'd been thrown over the ropes and had landed hard on his right knee. He was clearly struggling to stay in the game and Brodus, who was obviously still sore over the beat down he'd received a few weeks back, was relentless in his efforts to keep Dean down. Aidan cringed when the three hundred pounder delivered a series of stomps to his bad knee. Dean let out an agonizing cry of pain, but he immediately got back up and hit Brodus with a running lariat. The force of the impact was actually enough to knock the big man down. Brodus was stirring, trying to get to his feet, when out of nowhere, Dean ran at him full force, his bad knee connecting with a sickening smack to the side of Brodus's head. He fell like a giant sack of potatoes. Dean dragged himself over the downed man's body, the ref made a three count, and the match was won. Aidan finally felt herself breath again.

The ref was tending to Dean, who had not risen since the bell had rung. He was still holding onto the bad knee that he had foolishly, yet successfully used to defeat Brodus Clay. Aidan abandoned her seat at the top of the ramp and walked toward the ring, concern in her eyes. He may have won the match but she hoped he hadn't severely injured himself in the process.

She slid into the ring and crawled over to him.

"Are you okay?"

He was out of breath when he spoke. The pain was obvious in his eyes, but he smiled.

"Sunshine. I'm so glad to see you. How did I do?"

"You were amazing," she said in disbelief. "You really shouldn't have wrecked your knee though. We need to get you looked at by a trainer."

"No," he said with resolution. "I'm fine. Just help me up."

She did as he commanded and with the referee's help, pulled him to his feet. He put his arm around her neck, his sweat drenched body resting against her.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" she asked as she helped him out of the ring.

"Never better," he said with his trademark goofy grin.

The other rookies were starting to line up outside the ring. The time for the first elimination was upon them. Dean started to hobble over and take his place but Aidan stopped him. He looked at her with mild surprise.

"Before you go…I hope I won't regret this, but I just wanted to say, I'm proud of you."

His expression was hard to read. He was unable to respond before Matt Striker approached him, microphone in hand.

"Dean, congratulations on your first win. But will it be enough to keep you from being eliminated tonight? What are your thoughts?"

Aidan had made her way back to her seat between Daniel and Dolph Ziggler She focused in on Dean. She always found herself anxious when he got ahold of the microphone.

"My thoughts are that it doesn't matter, win or lose, Dean Ambrose is the best thing that's ever happened to NXT. I'm one in a million. I don't have to win to be the best, but when I do, somebody will be left in a world of pain, right Brodus?"

Brodus Clay started toward Dean but was held off by the three other rookies surrounding him. Matt Striker continued on with disregard to the brawl that was about to break out behind him.

"Those are strong words coming from Dean Ambrose. Ladies and gentlemen, the time is upon us. Let's find out who will be going home tonight."

Everybody in the arena looked up at the titan tron as the names and faces of the rookies cycled like a roulette wheel. Aidan looked down at Dean. She was unsurprised to find him looking back at her. A buzzer sounded. Aidan glanced up at the titan tron. Conor O'Brien had been eliminated. Somehow, some way, Dean was safe, and strangely, Aidan felt relieved.

After the show was over, the rookies made their way up the ramp. Aidan fell in alongside Dean. They walked through the backstage area in silence, stopping outside the men's locker room.

"You want to come in?" he asked, breaking the silence.

She smiled.

"No, I don't think that would go over well."

He shrugged.

"Suit yourself. See you next week?"

He started to walk into the locker room. This time, Aidan was the one to stop him.

"Dean…thanks."

He raised an eyebrow, his lips pursing in an inquisitive way. After a moment, he nodded in understanding.

"See you around, Sunshine."

For the first time since she'd begun this journey in NXT, she actually felt happy with herself. Even more strange was that she was happy with Dean. It was almost like she was finally finding peace after struggling for weeks with this man who had so rudely interrupted her life. But behind this new peaceful feeling was something disturbing that she didn't want to admit to. She knew deep down that she was starting to _care_ about him. He'd told her there was a connection between them and she'd fought with all her might to convince herself it wasn't true. Now she was starting to see he'd been right all along. It had to be the reason why they could play at each other's feelings so easily. Her newfound peace was short lived. With this new understanding came a great realization: Dean Ambrose _was _a part of her, a part that she could not leave behind.


	9. Sacrifice

"I am so sorry. I was really excited to spend some time with you over the next couple of days, but I'm not going to be able to get myself out of this media tour."

Punk was pleading with her over the phone. The plans they'd made to spend their off days together had been ripped apart when their betters at WWE corporate had arranged some surprise media days for him. It would have been their first chance in weeks to be together for more than 24 hours. Now it looked as if they wouldn't get _any_ time together. Aidan was trying to be understanding. She knew it was beyond his control, but it didn't ease the disappointment and the pain of missing him.

"I know this is not your fault, and I'm not blaming it on you. I just miss you."

"I miss you too. I know this sucks, and I swear I'm going to make it up to you."

She heard far off voices murmuring in the background.

"I've gotta go. They're boarding the plane now."

"Okay," she said sadly. "I hope everything goes well."

"It will. I'm going to dedicate each interview to you."

She rolled her eyes, a smile creeping onto her lips.

"I feel honored."

"I love you, Aidan."

"I love you too."

After she'd hung up the phone, she sighed and rested her head against the table in front of her. Since she'd spoken with him last week when they'd first made their plans, the anticipation for her days off had been building with each day that passed. She'd received the let down just as she was getting ready to leave the arena and begin her "weekend". With Punk gone for the next few days, it would mean going home to an empty apartment. Being alone wouldn't normally bother her except for the fact that she was beginning to forget what her fiancé looked like.

By now, most of her friends and colleagues had left the building. This was evident by the quiet that had settled over the backstage area. The small sitting room she was occupying was silent save for the humming of the vending machines nearby. It only made her feel all the more lonely. The feeling didn't have time to truly sink in, for very suddenly a chair slid across the floor, rupturing the silence. Aidan looked up to find Dean sitting down across from her. He observed her silently, a faint smirk on his lips.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked, slightly annoyed.

"You don't sound like you're happy to see me," he said.

"What do you want, Dean?"

"I came to check on you, Sunshine. You look unhappy. How could I ever walk away with that on my conscience?"

She eyed him dubiously, saying nothing.

"So what's wrong? I'll bet it has something to do with that charming fiancé of yours. Let me guess…he stood you up."

Her eyes narrowed sharply.

"You were listening to my conversation, weren't you?"

"Do I look like the kind of guy that would do something like that?"

"Yes," she said flatly. "And no, he didn't stand me up. The WWE bigwigs have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to send him on a last minute media tour having no regards for his, or my, life outside of work."

Dean clicked his tongue in mock sympathy.

"That's too bad. I guess you're going to be pretty lonely while he's gone. It must be hard being engaged to someone like him." He sat there a moment nodding his head in reverie then very suddenly stood up. "Well, good luck with all of that."

Aidan stared after him in confusion as he walked away.

"Wait, where are you going?"

He turned around staring at her wide eyed and pointed a finger to his own chest. As if she could be talking to anyone else.

"Me? I've got to get back home to Tampa. We FCW grunts don't get the pleasure of days off."

"You were going to say something like that and just walk away?"

He crept a little closer.

"Well, I just thought you'd resigned to going home by yourself. I mean, you could come with me."

"Go with you. To Tampa? You must be out of your mind."

He shrugged. There was anger in his voice when he spoke.

"I'm not going to beg you, sweetheart. If anything, I was just trying to do you a favor."

"How so?" she asked warily.

"You could come with me and forget about playing second fiddle to your fiancé's career, or you can sit at home and sulk about it."

His vicious words seared like a slap in her face.

"How dare you! You don't know a thing about being in a relationship. You don't understand that sometimes sacrifices have to be made because you love somebody, that it's not about what _you_ want or even about what you _need_, it's about something that's bigger than yourself!"

He closed in on her in an instant, grabbing her arms and pinning her to his body. His eyes were alight with fury.

"Don't assume you know anything about me. My life hasn't been ripped out of a storybook, and I'm not some kind of fucking knight in shining armor, but don't think I know nothing about love. I know all too well about sacrifice, and I know that when you sacrifice you're just opening yourself up to have your heart ripped out of your chest and smashed into the ground!"

He let her go and turned his back on her. She watched him as he stood there in silence, his shoulders tense, rising and falling with each harsh breath that escaped his body. Even though she wanted to be angry with him, what he'd said filled her with wonder about what he'd been through to make him feel that way. She closed the distance and placed a hand on his shoulder. She felt his body tense further then relax ever so slightly. When his breathing had softened, she began slowly.

"I'm sorry, and you're right. I shouldn't assume I know anything about what you've been through. I wouldn't want anybody to treat me that way."

He remained unmoved, his back turned to her. She grasped at his well-muscled bicep.

"Dean, please look at me."

On her command, he turned slowly to face her. His eyes held a mixture of emotions, mostly anger with a seeming hint of sadness.

"I can't know anything about you if you don't tell me."

He scoffed.

"Why should I tell you anything? You've proven over and over that you don't really care about anything I say. Just when I start to trust you, you stab me in the back, just like everybody else."

She was surprisingly hurt by his words.

"I _do _care," she said defiantly.

"Prove it."

She stared evenly into his eyes. The anger was subsiding, and she saw something else. Her heart began to beat wildly in her chest as he drew closer to her. His lips grazed hers, and she shuddered with anticipation. Without thinking, she pulled him in, kissing him with an intensity that surprised them both. His tongue slipped into her mouth, playing at hers, gently at first and then with increased fervor. She felt his hands on her, stopping only when they reached her breasts. She inhaled sharply, pulling herself away from the pleasure her body was still yearning for.

"Dean…"

He was still breathing heavily. He bit at his lips, his eyes carnal.

"You'd better leave before I do something we'll both regret," he said in a low voice.

Aidan nodded and wasted no time in leaving. She picked up her bag and made a beeline for the nearest cab that would take her to the airport and away from what had just happened.


	10. Frailty

_A/N: Sorry for the huge delay. I've had some pretty crappy stuff going on lately and had zero time to write. But at last, I bring you a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy it!_

Outside the cars sped by, blurs of color against black asphalt. Everything seemed fuzzy, out of focus. It had been like this for days now, ever since…

"Aidan!"

She looked from the window to Nattie, Kaitlyn, and Daniel who were all staring at her curiously. They'd all been traveling together to the arena where Smackdown would take place. She was vaguely aware that they'd reached their destination and that her friends were already outside of the car.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Kaitlyn looked worried.

"We're here. Are you going to get out?"

Realizing she was looking like a complete space case, she opened the door and slid out of the backseat. She walked around to the open trunk and pulled out her suitcase, very aware that all of her friends were still watching her closely.

"Are you okay? You've been zoned out all week."

She put on her most convincing smile.

"I'm fine."

"I'll bet she misses Punk," Nattie said with a pout.

This time her smile was less convincing. She missed her fiancé terribly. It had been over a week since she'd seen him. Even their phone conversations were much shorter since he'd been busy with the endless stream of media tours and shows. As much as she missed him, it was probably best that he'd been away. She was certain she wouldn't be able to look at Punk without him knowing that something had changed. She could barely look at herself anymore. What had happened with Dean still horrified her. The worst part about it was that she'd _enjoyed_ it. That moment between them had awoken something within herself that she'd been fighting to ignore, and it all came rushing up when he'd looked into her eyes. She'd seen a frailty in him, something that was normally impossible to see beyond his rough and obnoxious exterior. She'd asked herself over and over _why_ she'd kissed him that night. At last she'd realized it really wasn't that big of a mystery. That frailty within him existed in herself, but in that brief moment, she was whole.

Nattie took Aidan's silence as an affirmation of her presumption. She came over and put her arm around Aidan's shoulder.

"Don't worry, dear. Things will slow down soon. I'll bet as soon as NXT is over they'll be putting you on RAW more often."

Aidan offered up a small smile.

"I hope so."

"How are things going between you and your rookie?" Daniel asked suddenly. He gave her a knowing look, one she tried not to read into.

"Things are actually better. I'm feeling less and less often like murdering him."

Daniel looked at her as if he suspected bullshit. She raised a brow but their nonverbal conversation was interrupted by Kaitlyn.

"That's good. I was feeling really bad for you there for a while. I've heard that he's a total creep."

"He's not so bad as everyone makes him out to be…once you get to know him."

"Well, you're a better woman than me. If I had to put up with that psycho I would have probably called it quits," Nattie said jokingly.

They were barely inside the building before Dolph Ziggler came bounding up to meet them.

"Hello ladies," he said, shooting a grin toward Daniel.

"Dolph. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Daniel asked flatly.

"I'm trying to round up the NXT pros and rookies and invite them out for some drinks tonight. I know you two losers don't drink alcohol, but you can come anyway and sip some ginger ale or whatever the hell it is you drink. Of course, Natalya and Kaitlyn, you're invited too."

Aidan exchanged a look with Daniel.

"I don't know. I've was going to head home early this week," Daniel said.

At that moment, Derrick came running up.

"Daniel, please. You have to be my wingman tonight!" he pleaded. He shot a glance at the three ladies standing by. "Hi," he said, his voice deepening.

Daniel smirked. Aidan got the feeling he had a soft spot for his goofy rookie.

"Alright, I'll go."

"Nat, Kay?"

They looked at each other. Kaitlyn shrugged.

"Yeah, we'll be there," Nattie said.

"What about you Aidan? Don't worry about Punk. I already asked him and he said I could be his stand in."

"I highly doubt that," she said with a grin.

"If I have to go, you might as well come too," Daniel said reassuringly.

"Yeah, you should come!" said Kaitlyn.

Nattie was the next to pipe in.

"You need a night out to clear your head."

Before Aidan could even respond Dolph interrupted.

"Great! It's settled then. I'll see you guys tonight."

Dolph started to run off but he stopped short.

"Hey, Aidan. Ask Dean if he wants to come. I haven't been able to find him."

What a surprise that Dean was yet again missing. It always seemed to come down to her to find him.

"Yeah…I'll ask him."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Before the show began, she made a point to seek out Dean. Aside from the fact that she'd been asked to deliver an invitation to Dolph's outing, she needed to talk to him. After giving it a lot of thought, she decided it was best that they try to forget about what had happened last Tuesday. She knew there was no way she _could_ forget about it, but it needed to stop. It should have never happened and it couldn't happen again.

She found him stalking around outside the arena. She could tell he was in a bad mood the moment she laid eyes on him. He looked even more disheveled than normal. The ground was littered with several cigarette butts. He flicked another one to the ground as she walked up. His eyes came to rest on her and lit up with some unfathomable gamut of emotions.

_Great. This should be fun._

"Dean," she said weakly.

There was an overwhelming harshness in his voice when he spoke.

"Sunshine. I'm so _very_ happy to see you."

"Yeah…are you ok?"

"I'm great! The real question is how are _you_ doing?"

"Not well," she said slowly.

"Not well? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

She glared at him.

"I think you know."

"I think you know," he repeated with venom. He began pacing around. Aidan noticed his hands were balling into fists. His right hand looked busted up.

"What did you do to your hand?"

He stopped and stared at her.

"I punched a wall."

"Ok…now is obviously not a good time. I'll talk to you later."

"No, let's talk. I want to talk," he said. He sat down on the stairs leading backstage and gestured for her to come join him. Very reluctantly, she sat down next to him.

"So what do you want to talk about?" he asked, a deranged smile on his lips.

"I wanted to talk to you about last week," she said softly.

"What about it?" he asked.

"Well…I don't think we need to go down that road anymore. What happened…happened and there's nothing we can do to change that. It was a stupid mistake. I won't let it happen again."

His eyes narrowed sharply for a split second.

"It was a mistake?" he asked in a low voice. He seemed to contemplate the thought. "It was a mistake," he repeated, this time in admission.

"Are you angry?" she asked tentatively.

He shrugged.

"Why would I be angry?"

She studied him for a moment, trying to determine if he was being truthful. At the least, he seemed much calmer than he had moments earlier. It was scary sometimes how quickly his moods fluctuated.

"I guess that's it then. Oh…Dolph asked me to pass along the word. He's invited all the rookies and pros out for drinks tonight. I think some other people are going too."

"Are you going?" he asked.

"Yeah…"

He nodded slowly.

"I'll be there."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

She'd only been in the bar for half an hour and already she was annoyed.

A lot more people showed up than the NXT pros and rookies. It seemed the majority of the Smackdown roster was packed into the bar Dolph had selected for the evening. Nattie and Kaitlyn had run off with some of the other girls to dance. Despite their best efforts, they could not convince her to get up and join them. She also had no interest in drinking. That left her sitting at a table with the odd group of Daniel Bryan, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Antonio Cesaro. Daniel and Antonio were deeply engrossed in a conversation about their indie league days. Ricardo was presently attempting to put his arm around her shoulder.

"How do you like touring with Smackdown," Ricardo asked.

"I miss Raw, especially since my _boyfriend _is there."

Aidan stood up from the table. Antonio and Daniel stopped talking long enough to look at her.

"Excuse me," she said.

She walked off and settled into a stool at the bar. She could see across the entire floor from this position. She watched Nattie dancing with Tyson Kidd. The two were beyond cute together. Kaitlyn was talking with Wade Barrett at the side of the room. The Englishman had a devilish grin on his lips and was leaning in closer and closer. Her eyes continued to scan the room until she spotted him. Dean was sitting at a table in the corner. He had two girls with him, one on either side. The blonde on his left leaned in, giving him a sloppy drunken kiss. After a moment, he pulled back from her and kissed the redhead on his right. Seeing him with these two bar sluts left her feeling a little sick, and strangely, angry. Suddenly she realized she shouldn't be judging these women. After all, she was in their spot a few years ago. This realization only made the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach grow stronger.

When Dean pulled away from the redhead, his eyes met Aidan's and his lips twisted into a smirk. Embarrassed that she'd been caught staring, she forced a smile then turned her back on him. She sat at the bar with her head in her hands. It wasn't long before Daniel sat down beside her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Just ready to go," she said.

"Same here. Do you want to catch a ride with me?"

"Absolutely. You're a life saver."

He paused for a moment, looking like he had something to say.

"What is it?" Aidan asked.

"Look, I know it's not really any of my business, but there's nothing going on between you and Dean is there?"

Aidan's heart nearly stopped.

"No. Why do you ask?"

He was hesitant.

"Derrick saw you leaving the arena last Tuesday. He said you rushed out and you looked really upset. When he went back inside, Dean was throwing some kind of fit. He punched a wall and nearly broke his hand."

Aidan took in the news in a state of shock. She had no idea any of this had happened. It all explained the busted hand she'd witnessed earlier that day.

She was met with a tough decision. Should she come clean and tell Daniel the truth or should she play dumb. She knew Daniel wasn't the type to gossip. Still, she really felt like she should take this one to the grave.

"I had no idea. I left upset that day because Punk's schedule changed last minute. Whatever happened with Dean, I don't know. Just about anything can set him off."

Daniel eyed her for a moment.

"Just be careful. I know you can take care of yourself, but dealing with him is dangerous in any respect. I don't want you to get hurt."

Aidan nodded. She glanced behind her and noticed that Dean and the two girls were gone.

"You ready to get out of here?" Daniel asked.

Aidan ignored the sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Let's go."


	11. Challenged

_ A/N: _ I realize it's been a long time since I updated. When life gets busy, it's hard on a writer. But at last, I bring you a new chapter, and I think you will all be pleased. At least I hope so, lol. Thanks again for all the reviews, follows, favorites and other support this story is receiving. I noticed quite a few new readers from the last chapter, so welcome to you all and I hope you continue to enjoy!

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_ Look behind you._

Aidan received the text message minutes before NXT was to begin. It was from Punk.

Confused, she turned around, looking everywhere and not knowing what she was looking for. It didn't take her long to see him. He was standing at the other side of the room, a goofy grin on his lips. Without hesitation, she took off running, throwing her arms around him with enough force to nearly knock him over. Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in tight.

"Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did," she said. She pulled back to look at him, still in disbelief that he was really there. "What are you doing here?"

"I got the night off, so I decided to come see you."

"You should be home resting."

Shrugging, he said, "I'll rest when I'm dead. All I know is that I was missing you like crazy and I couldn't wait any longer to see you."

A smile crept onto her lips. She gave him a soft, lingering kiss, relishing the feeling of being in his arms again. Their reunion was cut short when the director started shouting from across the room.

"Alright! Places everybody! The show will kick off in five minutes."

"Are you going to stick around?"

"I'm here all night. And after the show is over, you're coming with me!"

"That's something to look forward to," she said with a smile.

She turned to walk away, but Punk caught her around the waist and pulled her back into him, giving her a long, deep kiss. As their lips parted, she gazed into Punk's olive eyes. She felt truly happy for the first time since she'd left him weeks ago to join the Smackdown crew. That happiness quickly disintegrated when she caught sight of Dean standing a few feet away. He was staring at them, his arms crossed, a snarl of disgusting twisting his lips. He glared at her for a moment before stomping off.

"Are you ok?" Punk asked, concern behind his eyes.

"Y-yeah…" she stammered.

"What's his problem?" Punk asked, nodding his head in the direction of the place Dean had just been standing. Her stomach further twisted into knots; she'd hoped he hadn't seen him.

"Who? Dean? He's just…he's very…"

"Aidan! Let's go! We're on in two minutes!" the director shouted impatiently.

"Is he still bothering you?" Punk asked urgently.

Regaining composure, she said, "No—I don't know what his problem is. There's no telling with him."

Punk wasn't convinced. As she'd feared, he seemed to know something was up.

"I've got to go. We'll talk about it later, if you want."

With that, she bolted toward the curtain where the other pros were waiting. She hoped in vain that Punk would forget about Dean by the time the show was over.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

That night, it was announced that a huge prize was up for grabs by the NXT rookies. One rookie would win a match on RAW the following Monday against an opponent of his choosing. In order to get this opportunity, the rookies had to survive a gauntlet match. Aidan watched with mild interest as the two rookies that were to start the match were randomly selected. The first name drawn was Byron Saxton. The second name was Dean Ambrose.

Aidan watched as he descended the ramp toward the ring. He didn't' look at her, but he still had that same snarl of disgust on his face. However, there was an eerie focus in his eyes, a determination that she seldom witnessed. He'd said before when he wanted to win, he would win. By the look of it, that's exactly what he meant to do.

He quickly laid waste to Byron Saxton, savagely beating the other rookie before he could even land a hit on him. Johnny Curtis was up next. Dean had to try a bit harder this time. The match went back and forth for several minutes, both men equally determined to come out on top. Dean played along, waiting for his opportunity. It came when Johnny wildly missed a clothesline. Dean caught him from behind and delivered a brutal over the shoulder back to belly piledriver. Dean pinned him for a three count. Two down, two to go.

The next opponent was Derrick Bateman. Dean crouched down low, waiting for Derrick to enter the ring. He hit him with a spear right off the bat with enough force to wind the other man. The rest of the match went much the same. Dean was always one step ahead of Derrick. He ended the match by locking in the Fujiwara armbar. Though Derrick tried to resist, Dean wrenched his arm harder and harder, finally forcing him to tap out.

Matt Striker wasted no time introducing Dean's final opponent. Unlucky for Dean, they'd saved the biggest, and most brutal NXT rookie for last. Aidan looked at Dean as Brodus slowly approached the ring. Surprisingly, he didn't look very tired. She suspected he was hiding any fatigue that he had. Brodus was going to pick out any weakness from the start and try to use it against him.

The two locked up and Dean was shoved down onto the mat. He pounded the canvas in anger and stood back up, charging at the much bigger man. Again, he was swatted away like a fly. Aidan's eyes widened in alarm as Dean was knocked down a third time. This time, he stayed down, gasping and out of breath. The match went on like this for a while. Dean was definitely showing signs of being tired now. It seemed like every effort was being put into staying in the match, but he couldn't get ahead of Brodus. Aidan was beginning to lose hope. It seemed inevitable that Dean was going to lose this match, even after coming so far.

By this time, Brodus was confident he had the match won. His moves were becoming sloppy and careless. Out of nowhere, Dean kicked Brodus in the knee, causing the big man to fall to the mat. Dean put him in a crossface chickenwing hold, wrenching Brodus's arm back viciously. Dean released the hold and executed a perfect front dropkick straight to Brodus's head. Brodus fell with a thud to the match. Dean rolled over him, locking in a pin. Aidan watched in disbelief as the ref made a three count. The match was over. Dean had survived the gauntlet from start to finish.

Aidan watched Dean closely as Matt Striker entered the ring, microphone in hand. He stood by Dean who was looking exhausted yet satisfied.

"Dean, congratulations on winning the gauntlet match. You now have a guaranteed match on RAW next Monday night. Any ideas on who you'd like to face?"

He grabbed the mic out of Striker's hand.

"Any ideas? There's only one person I want to fight on RAW, and that's the WWE champion CM Punk."

Striker's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You're going straight to the top? That's a bold move."

"CM Punk considers himself the best in the world," Dean said gesturing wildly. "The best in the world is just a gimmick. I'm better than the best, and Monday night, the whole world is going to watch Dean Ambrose burn CM Punk's reputation to the ground."

He shoved the microphone at Matt Striker and slid out of the ring. There was a new fury alight in Dean's eyes as he ascended the ramp to the stage where the pros were all sitting. He shot Aidan a sideways glance before disappearing behind the curtain. She couldn't read anything in his flat blue eyes but anger and hatred.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Backstage, Aidan searched around for Dean. She wanted to talk to him about the little stunt he'd just pulled in challenging Punk to a match on Monday. She found him on his way out of the building, already changed out of his ring gear, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Dean!"

He turned slowly to look at her.

"What do you want?" he asked in a low growl.

Aidan was a bit nervous about his demeanor, but she went on anyway.

"Congratulations on winning tonight. You did an amazing job."

He eyed her skeptically.

"Is that all you wanted to say? You came here to verbally jerk me off?"

"No," she said, her brows furrowing.

He dropped his bag to the floor and closed in on her. The nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach rose sharply.

"Then what do you want to talk about?"  
"Why don't we talk about the reason you challenged Punk to a match Monday night."

"The reason is simple. He's the champion. Why would I fight anyone else?"

It was her turn to be skeptical.

"You don't want to fight him for any other reasons?"

A disgusting grin split Dean's lips.

"Sunshine! You think I want to fight your boyfriend over _you!_"

"That's not—"

"No, no, just let me stop you right there. I don't give a _fuck_ about you or him. I'm doing this because I'm going to humiliate him Monday night in front of the world."

"Why humiliate him? You don't give a fuck, remember?"

His eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'm going to humiliate him because I can."

"You're going to humiliate yourself," she said firmly.

She turned her back on him and stomped off down the hallway.

"Hey, Aidan."

His voice sounded sweet and strangely predatory. It sent chills through her body. She slowly turned around and glared at him, waiting for him to say whatever crazy thing he was bound to say.

"I want you to think about me when you go home with him tonight. Think about how your body was pressed to mine when my tongue was slipping inside your mouth. Think about my hands on your skin, that little moan you let out when I touched your tits. If I was able to get that response just by kissing you, think of how it's going to feel when you finally let me fuck you again."

He had a shit eating grin on his face as he picked up his bag and disappeared out of the door into the night. She stared down the empty hallway, newly furious at Dean for saying the very thing he knew would ruin the rest of her night.


	12. Shame

Things were hectic backstage at Monday Night Raw. Besides the fact that the production crew was rushing around like a bunch of mad men, Aidan found herself very nervous. Dean stood on one side of her stone still, his flat blue eyes staring ahead of him into nothing. On the outside he appeared to be very calm, but she knew him too well. She could sense the fury bubbling just under the surface, a fury that would be dangerous to his opponent in the coming match. His opponent, of course, was CM Punk who stood on her other side. Punk seemed to be very restless and strangely edgy. Both men seemed determined to ignore each other, which she was thankful for. The bad part was they were ignoring her as well.

The NXT team had decided for her that she would escort Dean to the ring and remain in his corner during his match against Punk. Upon hearing this news, Punk had become strangely distant with her. She supposed this behavior had less to do with this decision and more to do with the conversation they'd had earlier that day.

She'd hoped that Punk would forget about Dean's strange behavior, and she almost thought he had. That was until out of the blue he brought up the subject over lunch that day.

"So what's the deal with Dean Ambrose?"

She'd almost choked when he said his name.

"What about him?"

"Don't play dumb, Aidan. I know something is going on."

She swallowed hard. This was the moment she'd been dreading.

"Is he disrespectful towards you?"

"He's disrespectful towards everyone," she said, forcing a laugh.

Punk looked very serious.

"Does he say things that make you uncomfortable?"

"Well—"

"Has he made any passes at you?"

Aidan's eyes widened involuntarily. Punk's scrutinizing gaze seemed to pick up on every little move she made.

"I've been hearing things. People are saying that he's aggressive towards you, physically and verbally. They're also saying he's flirtatious, doing and _saying_ things he shouldn't. Is this true?"

She wanted to lie and say none of it was true, but she knew Punk would be able to tell. There was nothing to do but to tell the truth now.

"Dean has said and done things he shouldn't have, it's true. He can be a real dick, there's no denying that. But somewhere underneath that terrible mess I can see glimmers of a good person. You just have to deal with his more unpleasant qualities before you can see it."

Punk's lips were pressed into a fine line. He was nodding solemnly.

"Did you know Dean's been in jail?"

Aidan stared at him.

"Jail?"

"Domestic abuse. He beat one of his girlfriends within an inch of her life. She was hospitalized for two weeks."

She suddenly felt sick. She knew there were times when Dean had proven to be a violent individual, but she would have never imagined he'd do something like that. She was startled out of her musing when Punk reached over and touched her arm.

"I'm not telling you this to try and scare you. I just wanted you to know what he's capable of. You seem to be taking him too lightly, and I'm not going to stand by and let him hurt you the way he's hurt other people."

Aidan couldn't do or say anything. She simply nodded and the discussion was over, but for the rest of the day, Punk seemed to be in a somber mood. Now that the match was upon them, he seemed to be bursting with energy, but not the good kind. He was like a dog tied by a fraying rope, fighting to break lose and attack whoever his victim might be, and his victim was Dean Ambrose. She feared for both men and prayed that this match would end quickly.

"Alright, let's do this. We're on commercial break so we want Aidan and Dean out there now. Punk, you'll make your entrance when we're back on air."

The harried producer left as quick as he came.

Aidan turned to Punk. She could feel Dean's eyes on her. She stood on her tiptoes and gave Punk a peck on the cheek.

"See you later," she said with a small smile.

Punk nodded coolly.

The crowd had an interesting reaction as they made their way to the ring. They neither cheered nor booed, but instead there was a lot of excited murmuring. Aidan tried her best to hide the fact that she was a complete emotional wreck. Dean didn't seem interested in anything except getting into the ring. He stood in the corner and waited, staring straight ahead at the ramp where Punk was due to come out any minute now.

When the guitar rift kicked in, the audience went wild. Punk appeared at the top of the ramp. He didn't go through his usual routine, but instead he marched straight to the ring, a look of determination in his eyes.

Aidan climbed out of the ring and stood outside gazing anxiously at the two men. They were staring each other down, fury alight in their eyes.

"Let's get this over with," Punk said in a low voice.

A loopy smile was growing on Dean's lips. He pointed to his chin.

"Go ahead. I'll give you the first shot."

Punk wasted no time and punched Dean square in the face. He stumbled backwards, obviously in shock at Punk's lack of hesitance. Punk was in full offense mode not giving Dean a chance to recover. He continued to hit him with a series of punches and kicks that had Dean backed into the corner. The ref began a count, ordering Punk to back off. He broke away just before the ref counted five.

Dean wiped at his mouth as he recovered. His lip had been busted, assumedly from the first punch Punk had landed. He grinned when he saw the blood. Aidan felt a chill run through her body.

He threw himself at Punk this time, lashing out in a flurry of punches. The match was shaping up to be less of a wrestling match and more of an all-out brawl. The referee looked just as baffled as the crowd seemed to be. He struggled to keep the match in order, constantly having to separate the two men.

The match stretched on and on for what seemed like an eternity. Neither man was willing to back down and both were too stubborn to lose. She watched in horror as move after move was executed in the most gruesome fashion possible. Punk landed a kick to Dean's skull that made a sickening crack. Dean fell to the mat and Punk used this opportunity to climb the turnbuckle. He dove through the air and hit an elbow drop.

Before Punk could cover him, Dean was already stirring.

"You might as well give it up. I don't get hurt, I don't get tired. I'm invincible," he said thickly.

"The sad thing is you actually believe all of that," Punk said as he hit Dean with another fierce kick.

Dean started laughing through moans of pain.

"You know it's been a real privilege working with your fiancé over there," he mumbled.

Punk hit him again. Dean's body collapsed to the mat, but he was still laughing.

"Yeah, she's a good girl. I love being around her, you know? She really pushes my buttons, if you know what I mean."

Punk hit him again, even harder this time, hard enough to knock the wind out of him. The referee was starting to grow anxious.

"Back off Punk or I'm going to disqualify you."

Gasping for breath, Dean started to laugh again.

"You're a lucky man, Punk. Listen, I know you two are engaged. I want to leave her alone, but I just can't get over how _sweet_ she tastes."

Those last words barely left his mouth before Punk lost his mind. Even though Dean was already on the ground and defenseless, Punk was beating him to a pulp in the center of the ring. The referee had called for the match to end but Punk kept on wailing away, oblivious to the ringing bell. Despite the fact that he was being beaten on, Dean had burst into sickening laughter. Aidan couldn't watch anymore. She turned her back on the horrible scene.

She wanted to be angry with Dean for antagonizing Punk that way, but she was just as appalled by Punk's loss of control. He had never been easily bothered before and had always shown great restraint in the ring. This was a complete meltdown, one that she hadn't known he was capable of. She looked back to see several security men had pulled Punk away from Dean. A couple of trainers were tending to Dean's crippled body. Punk was being ushered out of the ring and backstage. As she climbed into the ring to see to her rookie, Punk stared her down. The fury in his eyes was unmistakable.

Trying her best to ignore the look of malice she'd just received from her fiancé, Aidan turned her attention to Dean. She was trying to remain calm, but her temper got the best of her.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Dean was smiling that deranged smile that was so uniquely his.

"Sunshine, what are you doing here? You should be consoling your boyfriend. He did just make a fool out of himself in front of a worldwide audience."

"Yeah, and who's fault was that?"

"Not mine. If he can't handle a little trash talk he shouldn't be a wrestler."

Aidan glared at him.

"Whatever. You and I are going to have a talk later on. You can ride with me tonight."

"Yes ma'am!" he said with a grin.

Aidan rolled her eyes. She made her way out of the ring, up the ramp and through the backstage area. It didn't take her long to find Punk. He was pacing around the locker room area. He stopped when he saw her. She approached him slowly, unsure how she should handle this situation.

"Would you like to explain what that was all about?" she asked softly.

"It seems like you should do the explaining," he snapped.

Aidan was baffled.

"What do you mean?"

"You heard what he said out there! Do you have something you want to tell me?"

"You know he's gifted at running his mouth. You _should_ have known that he was going to try to upset you and he knew exactly what to say. The sad thing is you fell for it."

He gave her a look she hadn't seen before. It was a look of disgust.

"So you're siding with him?"

"You're being ridiculous. I'm not siding with anybody. You both acted like immature assholes and you did it for the whole world to see. Dean won't be ashamed because he doesn't even know what shame is, but you should be."

She started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to pack up and head for the next show. I'm with Smackdown now, remember?"

He closed the distance between them. He stood there a moment just looking at her. She could see regret glistening in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. "You're right. I completely lost it out there. I shouldn't have believed anything that guy said. I don't know what came over me."

"It's ok," she said rubbing his back.

Looking at her with a sheepish grin on his lips, he said, "It's really not, but thanks for saying it."

He kissed her softly on the lips.

"I love you."

With a little effort, she smiled.

"I love you too."

She left him with a regret of her own, knowing that she should be ashamed herself. She should have confessed that night about the kiss she'd shared with Dean and her past with him, but once again she'd been too afraid to do the right thing. Now her relationship with Punk had descended even further into lies and deceit. She wondered if she could ever find her way out of it.


	13. Heartbroken

She sped along the dark highway in silence. Dean had not uttered a word since he'd climbed into the passenger seat and they'd departed the arena. He was in a strange state, calm but seemingly contemplative. He just stared out the window, his eyes following the shadowy scenery. She wanted to talk to him about what had happened that night. More importantly, she wanted to know the truth about his supposed jail time. However, she quickly became distracted when she realized where she was. They were about ten minutes away from her hometown, a place she hadn't seen in nearly fifteen years. She grew sick to her stomach just thinking about it.

"Are you okay?"

His gruff voice startled her. She found that he had abandoned the views of the dark and desolate Southern highways and was looking at her now instead.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"You're driving pretty fast. You seem tense."

She looked down at the speedometer and was surprised to find she was driving over 95 miles per hour. She slowed down and pulled off on the side of the road. Putting the car in park, she took a deep breath to steady herself. Dean continued to watch her in silence for several moments. When he spoke, it was in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"I've got to be honest, Sunshine. You're kind of freaking me out."

She gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry. It's just…I just realized we're close to where I grew up."

"Is that a bad thing?"

It was a simple question, but the answer was a long and complicated one and one that she had never spoken to anyone about. She tried not to think about it herself. Still, she'd been running from her past for some time now. It seemed like fate had brought her here on this night that was already full of melodrama, and she was here with Dean, the one person she felt might understand her past. Perhaps it was finally time to share her secret.

"Do you want to take a little detour? I want to see the house I grew up in."

Dean seemed to study her carefully.

"Whatever you want."

It didn't take long to find the dirt road that led to the small little shack of a house she called home for the first twelve years of her life. She stopped the car and climbed out, slowly pacing around the perimeter of the property. She could hear Dean following along behind her at a distance. She was amazed at how everything looked the same, but time had certainly done a number on the place. The solitary house looked as if it had been uninhabited for years. She supposed she and her father may have been the last tenants.

She walked into the garage. Some of her father's tools still remained. She froze when she saw an old crowbar lying in the corner. There was no way to tell, but it could have been the very one her father had struck her with when she was a child.

Dean had caught up to her by this point. He stood beside her, gazing around at the mostly empty garage.

"This place is a dump," he said.

She chuckled.

"Yeah. It didn't look much better when I lived here."

"How long did you live here?"

"Until I was twelve. I moved in with my aunt shortly after my twelfth birthday."

"You lived here with your mom and dad?"

"I mostly remember my father. My mother ran out on him when I was six. She was just gone one day. I found out later on that she'd hooked up with somebody else and skipped town."

"So your dad raised you by his self?"

"My father worked and provided me some food and a roof over my head. Aside from that, he didn't do much of anything except get drunk and watch TV."

"Is that why you moved in with your aunt?"

She smiled an empty smile.

"That's where the story turns ugly."

She turned her back on the garage and walked toward the front porch. She sat down on the steps and was soon joined by Dean. The property was completely dark save for the car's headlights that she'd left on. It was eerie seeing her childhood home this way. It made the place seem just that much more sinister.

"Hey, I know it's none of my business, but…"

He trailed off, seeming to struggle with what to say.

"Do you want to know what happened here? Why I was forced to leave and move in with my aunt?"

He paused a moment then nodded once.

"I'll tell you, but afterwards I get to ask you something. Deal?"

He smirked.

"Deal."

She took a deep breath, contemplating where she should begin.

"My father never wanted me. Neither did my mother. I was an "accident". My mother and my father had only been together a couple of months when she turned up pregnant. They decided to "do the right thing" and raise me together, so they got married. I only have a few memories of the two of them together. I remember thinking that they really loved each other. They seemed so happy back then and they tried their best to love me too. But over time, things changed. Then one day, my mother was gone. I was left with my dad, a man who'd just had his heart ripped out. He loved my mother up to the day she left, and he always blamed me for her leaving. My father had always been a drinker, and when my mother left, his drinking slowly got worse. The worse his drinking got, the more violent he became. I endured many beatings over the years, and the things he'd say to me when he was drunk were the meanest things you could imagine: 'I never loved you, neither did your mom,' 'I wish you'd never been born,' and so on.

I tried really hard to keep him happy so I wouldn't have to hear him yell or have him hit me, but it got to a point where there was nothing I could do. It finally reached the breaking point when I was twelve. I was playing in the garage one night and I accidentally knocked over a bucket of paint. The paint spilled all over the floor. I tried to clean it up but I only made it worse. It wasn't long before my father heard me in the garage. He came out to see what I was doing. I knew I was in big trouble when he saw the paint spilled all over the floor and his face turned a shade of red I'd never seen before. He started after me, picking up a crowbar on the way. I ran from him at first, but I didn't get very far. He caught up to me in the backyard. The first few hits were very painful. After a while, I think I blacked out. I woke up the next morning in my bed. I suffered through getting myself ready for school; every inch of my body was burning in pain. On my way to the bus, I saw my father sleeping on the couch. It was the last time I saw him in this place. When I got to school that morning, the bus driver walked me to the principal's office. I stood there in shame while they all eyed me pitifully, looking at the bruises all over my body. I was sent to the hospital to be checked out, and the cops came for my father. They say he didn't show the slightest sign of remorse when they told him I'd suffered a fractured arm and three broken ribs."

She went silent and stared at her arms. The silvery little scars showed up nicely in the moonlight, little pockmarks where the sharp end of the crowbar had split her open that night. She'd hated them for the longest time, but now she looked at them as tokens of survival.

She chuckled to herself.

"You know, you're the only person I've ever told that story to."

He looked at her skeptically.

"You haven't told Punk? Isn't this the kind of information your _fiancé_ might want to know?"

She sighed.

"It's always been a sore subject. I never wanted anyone to know that my father was such a loser that he lost his only daughter because he nearly beat her to death."

"Then why did you tell me?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. I thought you might understand."

Dean seemed to be at a loss for words for the first time in his life. His eyes glazed over like he was reliving his own horrible memories. He snapped out of it when she asked him a question he hadn't been suspecting.

"And now that I've told you about all that, I want to ask you something. Hopefully now you'll understand why it's important that I know. Did you go to jail for beating up your girlfriend?"

His expression darkened. This made her nervous, but she knew she must press on.

"Who told you that?" he asked in a low voice.

"…Phil. He told me earlier today."

He surprised her by bursting into laughter.

"So Punker is trying to dig up dirt on me? Hmm, I wonder why…" he said sarcastically.

"Just answer the question," Aidan said ignoring his sidetracking comments.

He looked at her, his eyes sharp even in the low lighting.

"Yeah, I was arrested and I was put in jail, but I didn't lay a finger on that bitch. Everybody knew it too! That's why they let me go. Insufficient evidence or whatever."

"Why would she put you in jail for something you didn't do?"

He ran his fingers through his messy blonde hair.

"_Because_ she cheated on _me_ with some douchebag that ended up dumping her like a month later. He always beat on her, but when they split she got all clingy on him, tried to get him to come back, and _he_ beat the fuck out of her. At that time, I was starting to gain some respect in my wrestling career. I guess she was jealous that I was doing well. The other guy was a drug dealer and she helped run some deals for him. Maybe she was scared she'd go to jail if they found out who he was. Fuck if I know what she was thinking. The bottom line is, she gave the cops my name and they arrested me. They soon realized it was all bullshit and they let me go."

She looked him over for a moment, trying to determine whether or not he was telling the truth. She knew he was the king of bullshit and he could very well be trying to fool her, but she had her own ways of getting the information she wanted.

"That must have really broken your heart when she had you arrested."

He scoffed, trying and failing at nonchalance. His mouth dipped into a frown baring his teeth, an expression she knew too well. It meant he was bothered by something.

"Heartbroken doesn't begin to describe what that bitch did to me. I _loved_ her, and she acted like she didn't care whether I lived or died. I would have done _anything_ for her and she goes out and betrays me not once, but twice."

He stood up and began pacing around the yard, kicking up dirt with each step.

"I kept asking myself over and over 'what is it about me that is so goddamned unlovable'? I know that I was poor, that I grew up on the wrong side of town. Maybe I've got a short temper—and I don't always do or say the right things—but I _loved _her—more than anything else in my fucked up, miserable life. Shouldn't that be enough? And I wouldn't have laid a _finger _on her—but she chooses some asshole selling drugs out of the back of a van that beats the fuck out of her night after night. Meanwhile, I'm trying to move on and I get a call one night that she's in the hospital, fighting for her life, and oh, by the way, I'm under arrest for putting her there."

He punched at the air, releasing the pent up anger that had built over the past few years. Without thinking, Aidan walked over to him and put her arms around him. He seemed unsure of this sudden sentiment, his body stiffening. After a moment, he seemed to relax. Somewhat awkwardly, he put his hand on her back. She looked up at him and he saw tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked in a soft voice.

Unaware of the tears that had just started spilling down her cheeks and embarrassed by their presence, she wiped hurriedly at her eyes.

"I'm sorry-I just—"

"Don't be sorry. I wasn't looking for sympathy. I don't even know why I told you all that stuff. You're just—you're really easy to talk to."

He took a step back, painfully aware that their bodies were pressed tightly together. He seemed to consider her for a moment. The emotion in his eyes was unreadable, but it seemed like he was at war with himself over something.

"Hey…I know I've been a real asshole over the past couple of months and you probably…you _didn't _deserve any of that. I just…I want to give you some advice and I hope you take it."

She stared at him blankly, in disbelief that these words were coming out of Dean Ambrose's mouth.

"What is it?"

"You should tell Punk…about everything. I know you've got a good thing with him. Keeping all these secrets is not doing you any favors. Its better he find out now about your past…about _our _past. He won't forgive you if he finds out after you're…_married_."

Suddenly he seemed very fidgety. He was showing the tell-tale signs that he was upset about something.

"What's wrong?" she asked him softly.

"Nothing. Let's get out of here."

He stormed off towards the car. She stared after him, a little confused by his behavior. She had a feeling it took every last ounce of sensitivity in his body to say what he'd just said. She was also afraid she knew why it was so hard for him to say it.


	14. Wreckage

Aidan rummaged through her suitcase. After throwing everything out, she began the process of neatly folding and replacing all her dirty clothes. It was a needless task, but one that she was doing purposefully to avoid Dean. Things had been rather awkward since their talk the night before. He'd become somebody unknown to her. Instead of his usual brash and bawdy behavior he was strangely withdrawn. His conduct in the ring however had only become more violent. He'd been disqualified in his NXT match that night for mercilessly beating his opponent Derrick Bateman, an act that had chilling similarities to the beating he'd received from Punk the night before.

She couldn't stop thinking about the things he'd said to her. He was right. The lies had gone on for far too long. She was going to have to come clean with Punk about everything. It was a daunting task, and a ton of information to give to somebody who thought he knew everything about her. It was horrible timing too. Punk's birthday was Saturday and the Hell in the Cell pay per view was on Sunday. She was sickened by the thought that all of this could have been over months ago.

"Hey, Aidan!"

She turned around to see Brie Bella standing in the doorway of the locker room.

"Daniel is looking for you."

"Okay. I'll be right there."

After Brie left, she looked at the messy pile of clothes. Shaking her head, she picked them all up, stuffed them in the suitcase, and zipped it shut.

When she left the locker room, she did a quick scan of the area. As she suspected, she saw Dean lingering at the end of the hall. Her stomach fluttered when he looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

"Aidan, I've been looking for you!"

Daniel was walking over to meet her, his body acting as a shield against Dean's stare.

"Hey…what's up?" she said distractedly. She looked past Daniel to find Dean had vanished.

"I was just wanting to ask about the party for Punk this Saturday. It's going to be at the hotel?"

"Yeah. 8 PM on Saturday."

"Good."

He stood for a moment nodding in silence. He looked over his shoulder in the direction Dean had been standing moments earlier. She suddenly got the feeling Daniel had other topics of conversation on his agenda.

"Say…Aidan. I don't mean to nag you about this, but…I'm just worried is all and I've noticed a huge…_change_ in Dean since that _awful _match last night with Punk. I've just seen him sort of…_stalking _you today and…I know it's not any of my business, but…did something _happen_ between you two last night?"

Aidan took a deep breath. This would be the first step in sorting out her bed of lies.

"Dean and I passed through my hometown last night. It brought up a lot of memories…_bad _memories from my childhood that I've tried to forget for many years now. We talked about things that I've never told _anybody_."

"Like what?" Daniel asked curiously.

"Like the fact that my father was arrested for child abuse committed against me when I was twelve years old."

Daniel looked stunned. He was grasping around for words and coming up with nothing.

"Look, none of that matters now. The point is Dean encouraged me to come clean with Punk over all these secrets, and that's what I'm going to do."

He seemed to consider her for a moment.

"Well, it's good that you're going to talk to him, but I still don't understand why Dean is acting even creepier than usual."

Aidan sighed. She glanced around the hallway and lowered her voice.

"I told you he remembered me from some party years back. It turns out some things happened there…between me and him…that I don't remember."

His eyes grew wide.

"Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying."

She looked to the ground and nodded. Daniel kept on staring at her in disbelief.

"Now maybe you can understand why I haven't been especially motivated to tell Phil about all of this."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Sometime after the pay per view. I can't do it now with his birthday coming up and the match on Sunday. It'll ruin everything."

Daniel nodded.

"Well, good luck."

"Thanks for the boost of confidence," she said with a smile.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Aidan. I've known Punk for many years and he's going to be absolutely pissed about this…but, I also know he's crazy about you. He may pout for a while but he'll come around."

"I hope so," she said.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The party had been underway for over a couple of hours and wasn't showing any signs of letting up. It seemed nearly everyone in the WWE had turned out to the birthday party that was meant to be a small gathering. Several of the NXT rookies had shown up but thankfully Aidan had not seen Dean. Still, she found herself wondering where he might be.

"Are you ok?"

Punk's question shook her out of her contemplation. She gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm fine."

"You want to get out of here?"

"Whenever you're ready."

He gave her a kiss.

"I'm going to go say goodnight to a couple of people and then we'll leave."

"Sure. I'll just wait here."

Time passed by slowly. Aidan sat in the corner observing her friends enjoying themselves at the party. Many were fairly drunk by this point. It had been years since Aidan had touched a drop of alcohol. She sometimes missed the feelings of intoxication. She also wondered if she were to take another drink if she'd be strong enough to stop herself from wanting more. Her relationship with Punk had aided a lot in helping her to resist the allure of drugs and alcohol. She supposed she owed a lot more to him than he'd ever know. The time to reveal the secrets she'd been keeping from him was now nearly upon her. She only hoped his love for her was as strong as Daniel thought it was. It was the only chance she had at forgiveness.

It seemed like hours before she saw Punk making his way back to her. She stood from the little table in the corner, readying herself to leave, but Punk approached her, gripping her arm. She looked in his eyes and saw an anger that made her fearful.

"We need to talk," he said in a low voice.

"Okay…"

He began walking, pulling her along behind him. They exited the ballroom and walked out into the hotel's mezzanine. Punk looked around rather nervously before backing her into the wall.

"I'm going to ask you one more time and you'd better be honest with me. What is going on between you and Dean Ambrose?"

Aidan blinked in shock.

"…What?"

"Quit bullshitting me and tell me the truth. I know that you slept with him."

She was trying to breathe but the air seemed to be catching in her throat.

"It was before I met you," she choked out.

Punk turned his back on her, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he yelled.

"I was going to tell you, I swear. I just didn't want to tell you now and ruin your weekend."

"My weekend?" he said incredulously. "You've just ruined my whole year! I can't believe you didn't tell me about that!"

She was trying to hold it together but his anger was unbearable.

"I was a terrible person back then…on drugs, drunk all the time. I didn't even remember sleeping with him! I was ashamed. I'm still ashamed! I was afraid to tell you because I didn't want you to see me any differently."

"Yeah. You were afraid to tell me about kissing him too, weren't you?"

Her stomach dropped. She was afraid she was going to be sick.

"I'm sorry."

Punk was shaking his head. His eyes were glistening.

"You _disgust_ me. I don't even know you anymore."

With that he walked back into the ballroom leaving her standing there alone with all of her mistakes and the wreckage of the relationship she once thought was unbreakable.


End file.
